Ryan Murphy's 'The Normal Heart' review, starring Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer

Last weekend, The Normal Heart managed to get one last award at the Golden Globes. Matt Bomer picked up Best Supporting Actor in a TV Miniseries/Movie for his heartbreaking performance as Felix Turner. However, the film shouldn’t be forgotten about. It is a surprisingly powerful piece of work that balances its dual goals - to teach and to entertain.

Based on Larry Kramer’s acclaimed play of the same name, the film tracks the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic through the eyes of writer Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo). Ned acts as Kramer’s surrogate in the film and play, since Kramer lived through what plays out in the film.

Ned has to fight everyone, even those within the gay community, to get word out that this disease needs to be fought. He finds a surprising ally in Dr. Emma Brookner (Julia Roberts), who continues to see patients die from the disease.

Ryan Murphy initially started work on the film as an indie project, but HBO came in and agreed to support it. It’s a bit of a shame that HBO didn’t do even a limited release in theaters. I saw it at the Savannah Film Festival back in late October on the big screen and more people should have had the opportunity to see it with an audience. Seeing Mark Ruffalo give his heart out in this material is so much more inspiring when you can see every facial tic, every movement and hear every powerful delivery of a line in a theater.

The film has no trouble squeezing in information within its 130-minute runtime. It moves quickly through the ‘80s, highlighting Ned’s struggles and the loss of Felix. Bomer’s performance was as affecting as any seen on the big screen this year, as you see him slowly whittle away.

What Murphy does struggle with though is trying to keep this entertaining. A few of the supporting characters seem to exist merely to give speeches and make points. Thankfully, Ruffalo has no problem making his speeches stirring moments throughout the film. He fully understands that he’s really acting like Kramer’s mouthpiece and puts all of Kramer’s rage on display. Never has a writer felt more a part of his material than Kramer does here.

Credit also goes to the other members of the cast, aside from Ruffalo and Bomer, for keeping the film believable. Jim Parsons sheds his Big Bang Theory persona to give a touching performance, while Taylor Kitsch is clearly relishing this chance to show off his dramatic skills.

The Normal Heart could be forgotten about in a year or two as just another ambitious HBO movie, but it shouldn’t be. It’s a film that gets to the center of the AIDS crisis, which is still ongoing today. Kramer has a point to make and Murphy found a way to do it that keeps your eyes on the screen.

Ruffalo and Roberts were nominated for Screen Actors Guilds Awards. That ceremony is on Jan. 25.