‘The Normal Heart’ Review Roundup: Tragic Tale About Early Years Of AIDS

‘The Normal Heart’ aired on May 25 over Memorial Day weekend, and critics have been praising Ryan Murphy’s latest venture about the heartbreaking early years of AIDS in the 1980s. Read on for reviews!

The Normal Heart, directed by Glee showrunner Ryan Murphy, is the story of Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo), a gay man in the 1980s whose friends are succumbing to a new, fatal illness — AIDS. Based on the play of the same name by Larry Kramer — who also wrote the screenplay — it has been receiving mostly rave reviews for its realistic portrayal of the AIDS crisis in America in the 1980s and how difficult it was to raise awareness and support when so many men were too afraid for their lives to even come out of the closet — including Ned’s lover, Felix Turner (Matt Bomer). Read on for reviews!

‘The Normal Heart’ Movie Review Roundup: Ryan Murphy’s Newest Venture A Must-See

Larry Kramer’s Ned Weeks is outspoken about the mysterious illness killing off gay men where many prefer to shy away from the media spotlight — that is, when the media even cares to cover the outbreak.
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A passionate activist, Ned seeks to gain attention from politicians and media alike to raise awareness about the virus infecting those closest to him. However, his passion is off-putting to many — gay and straight alike — who are simply too uncomfortable to face and deal with reality

‘The Normal Heart’: A Heartbreaking Story About A Problem That Still Persists Today

It’s a heartbreaking story about a problem that still persists today, and is absolutely a must-see — not just because of the direly important subject matter, but because critics have been overwhelming in their praise. Here’s what they’ve been saying:
Vulture:
“The film doesn’t wonder. It says, ‘Yes, that’s pretty much what happened. And if you say otherwise, you’re naïve or lying.’ … If anger and suffering were all there were to The Normal Heart, watching it would be torture. Luckily, it has heart to match its guts. There’s always been a crackpot humanist sensibility in Murphy’s TV work, even when it was going for sadomasochistic violence or surreal kitsch.”
Variety:
“In its totality, this represents a powerful piece of work, with Ruffalo overcoming the prickly aspects of his character to convey his pain, and Jim Parsons delivering a wonderful supporting turn, including a sobering scene in which he talks about eulogizing fallen friends. … Perhaps foremost, HBO once again straddles the cinematic line, providing a character-oriented drama with theatrical talent and values that would face challenges finding much purchase at the modern-day multiplex. And while there’s a premium-channel calculation in that strategy, the result is a movie, for mostly better and sometimes worse, that wears its heart on its sleeve.”
HitFix:
“Ultimately, the good in “Normal Heart” outweighs the bad, which isn’t always the case with Murphy’s work. It’s an important story packed with vivid individual moments, but with this material and these actors, it feels like it could be so much more than what it is.”
Vanity Fair:
“With such strong, important material to film, Murphy has found a necessary restraint, channeling his sometimes garish energy through Kramer’s keening rage. The Normal Heart is not a subtle film; Ryan Murphy doesn’t do subtlety, nor does Larry Kramer. But that’s O.K. The film’s message, that activism often needs to be truly active, is served well by Murphy and Kramer’s elegant broad strokes.”

So, HollywoodLifers, did you catch Normal Heart over the Memorial Day weekend? What did you think? If you haven’t seen it yet, will you? Let us know!