The Normal Heart (2014)

A gay activist attempts to raise H.I.V. and A.I.D.S. awareness during the early 1980s.

Director:

Ryan Murphy

Writers:

Larry Kramer (screenplay), Larry Kramer (play)

Stars:

Mark Ruffalo, Jonathan Groff, Frank De Julio

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 28 wins & 55 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Ruffalo	...	Ned Weeks
Jonathan Groff	...	Craig
Frank De Julio	...	Nick
William DeMeritt	...	Nino
Taylor Kitsch	...	Bruce Niles
Joe Mantello	...	Mickey Marcus
Sean Meehan	...	Morton
Stephen Spinella	...	Sanford
Jill Melanie Wirth	...	Receptionist
BD Wong	...	Buzzy
Julia Roberts	...	Dr. Emma Brookner
Jim Parsons	...	Tommy Boatwright
Adam B. Shapiro	...	Bella (as Adam Shapiro)
John Mainieri	...	John
Matt Bomer	...	Felix Turner

Storyline

The story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s, taking an unflinching look at the nation's sexual politics as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial.

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Plot Keywords:

gay | gay men's health crisis | hiv | aids epidemic | new york city | 

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Taglines:

To win a war, you have to start one.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Normal Heart

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, Plan B Entertainment, Blumhouse Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White (archive material) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Tommy Boatwright (Jim Parsons) pulls a card from his Rolodex, and puts it along with a bunch of cards tied with a rubber band, is based on what David Geffen used to do in those days. On November 18, 1992, AIDS Project Los Angeles (A.P.L.A.) gave Geffen the Commitment To Life Award at the Universal Amphitheater. During his acceptance speech, he said: "When the first person I knew died, I couldn't bring myself to throw his Rolodex card away, so I saved it. I now have a rubber band around three hundred forty-one cards." David Geffen was referring to Michael Bennett.

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Goofs

When Ned and his friends are trying to collect money for "Gay Cancer" in the park, the 3 quarters one donor throws down are all from the State Quarter Series, which was begun by the US Mint in 1999.

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Quotes

Ned Weeks: Welcome to gay politics.

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Connections

Referenced in Late Night with Seth Meyers: Colin Farrell/Matt Bomer/Maria Bartiromo (2015)

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Soundtracks

Waiting on a Friend
Written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards
Performed by The Rolling Stones
Courtesy of Promotone B.V.

User Reviews

Tough and brutal, yet it's an honest fight for love, life and a civil right to be different.

Just watched the HBO original movie the "Normal Heart" which is based on a Tony award winning play from real life AIDS activist Larry Kramer, and I must say that director Ryan Murphy took this film to life's edge showing that love and life ends in the tragic and sad deaths of gay men. Set in New York city during the early to mid 80's at the very early stages of HIV/AIDS in fact the film shows the first deaths and early cases of gay men getting an unknown disease some called even a gay men's cancer plague. In these very early years the disease was still searching for a name and it was known only as a gay disease. After death after death a newspaper reporter Ned Weeks(in a super performance from Mark Ruffalo)starts to become an activist and fight for the rights of gay men and he faces a big climb from the political and medical community who both seem in denial of gay men's rights and they have no clue on how to treat the disease. Ned sees the pain and toll that it takes as his lover Felix(Matt Bomer)falls to defeat in the end from this new mysterious killer of gay men. In an outstanding performance veteran Julia Roberts is high strong and determined as a polio stricken doctor Brookner who was one of the first in the country to treat gay men for this disease. She has hope and fights for change. Overall this film is a painful watch about life, love, and in the end death still it's message is it's okay to fight for life and equal justice even if your different and love one of your own gender. Overall a must watch film that shows the early harsh days of the AIDS birth.