Brokeback Mountain: Not the Best Picture of 2005!

We have all heard the news and hype surrounding Brokeback Mountain or the "gay cowboy movie" as some people refer to it .  Honestly, after seeing the movie, I don't understand what the problem is, or where the controversy came from.

The film starts with very little talking, leaving the audience wondering if we are seeing the characters interact after several years of knowing one another, or if this is their first encounter together.  Soon thereafter, we learn that it is indeed their first interaction, as they are being assigned to watch over a herd of sheep on Brokeback mountain.  Jack is ordered to sleep with the sheep, leaving Ennis to tend to the camp.  

Jack soon grows tired of being stranded with the sheep, and Ennis gladly takes his place, as cooking and tending to the camp is not something that he is all to thrilled about.  This schedule is kept up for what I can assume is a week or so, when "the scene" happens.  As my wife said after the movie, it was very well choreographed, as the two characters tried to fight off their emotions, ultimately giving in to what they both wanted.  The time on Brokeback mountain quickly comes to an end with a storm from the Pacific is threatening to strike in the next few days. 

The characters go their separate ways and everything seems to be going along smoothly.  Ennis marries, has two daughters, and finds work on a ranch tending cattle.  Jack tries an unsuccessful career at the rodeo but does manage to find the woman he marries, and also has a son.  Five years after seeing each other, Ennis receives a postcard from Jack, and the two meet up igniting the romance they started.

The movie is basically a common love triangle, though this time the triangle involves a man in love with another man, keeping it from his wife.  With that in mind, I was not impressed with the movie, though I was impressed by Heath Ledger's performance.