Brokeback Mountain

R

Released Dec 9, 2005

2h 14m

Romance

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

88%

Tomatometer

255 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

In 1963, rodeo cowboy Jack Twist and ranch hand Ennis Del Mar are hired by rancher Joe Aguirre as sheep herders in Wyoming. One night on Brokeback Mountain, Jack makes a drunken pass at Ennis that is eventually reciprocated. Though Ennis marries his longtime sweetheart, Alma and Jack marries a fellow rodeo riders, the two men keep up their tortured and sporadic affair over the course of 20 years.

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Critics Consensus

A beautiful, epic Western, Brokeback Mountain's love story is imbued with heartbreaking universality thanks to moving performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.

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David Stratton

The Australian

Ledger and Gyllenhaal deserve nothing but praise for their brave, sensitive portrayals of troubled souls...

Jan 3, 2024

Full Review

Namrata Joshi

Outlook

What is remarkable about the film is how it doesn't politicise the homosexuality theme, transcends it to become the story of two people in doomed love. The two lead characters are wonderfully delineated.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 10, 2019

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

Brokeback Mountain is in no rush. Its emotional impact builds slowly, its rhythms in tune with the countryside--the rugged grandeur of the mountains; the arid, bleak vistas of backwater Western towns.

Jul 6, 2010

Full Review

Scott Nye

Battleship Pretension

It remains a rarely-surpassed high-watermark for both Ledger and Gyllenhaal, who were both nominated (it remains Gyllenhaal’s only nod), and who each capture something in their characters and something in themselves as actors that seems a tad elusive.

Aug 1, 2024

Full Review

David Opie

Digital Spy

Sure, there are happier gay films out now, ones that involve more queer talent both in front of and behind the camera, but here I am still, clinging onto this masterpiece like Ennis holding onto that damn jacket.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 11, 2024

Full Review

Diane Carson

KDHX (St. Louis)

Above all, the performances of Jake Gyllenhall and Heath Ledger lift “Brokeback Mountain” above the ordinary study of male-male friendship and love—repressed, resisted, indulged, debated, and analyzed. It pays dividends in its haunting specificity.

May 29, 2024

Full Review

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Veer S

honestly the best movie of all time when u think about it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/01/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Wow. Never saw it when it came out and wish I knew why. Two simply amazing performances. A great love story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/08/24

Full Review

Collin P

Insane range from the two, then 25 year olds.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/08/24

Full Review

Audience Member

A tear-jerking film that explores the travesty of living a limited queer life due to social norms and homophobia. At times though the story feels like it’s moving along just to move along. I would’ve loved a story about just a snapshot of their lives.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/05/24

Full Review

VIOLA B

I've watched this movie over five times, and I can do nothing but repeating saying to everyone how crumbling it is. It deserved the Oscar for Best Picture without a doubt

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/25/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I had never cried so hard after watching a movie like I did after this one. All my feelings got mixed up, and I couldn't stop sobbing. I was also sad because of the way things ended for Ennis, him, living alone and missing his pookie. All of it because he was scared him and Jack would get killed if they started being happy together.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/21/24

Full Review

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Ang Lee

Director

Heath Ledger

Ennis Del Mar

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jack Twist

Linda Cardellini

Cassie

Anna Faris

Lashawn Malone

Anne Hathaway

Lureen Newsome

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Brokeback Mountain: Official Clip - Alma's Engagement

2:56

Brokeback Mountain: Official Clip - Visiting Jack's Parents

2:18

Brokeback Mountain: Official Clip - See You Around

2:19

Brokeback Mountain: Official Clip - Reunited

2:34

Brokeback Mountain: Official Clip - Jack's Death

2:57

Brokeback Mountain: Official Clip - Lovers

1:48

Brokeback Mountain: Official Clip - Ennis Opens Up

2:02

Brokeback Mountain: Official Clip - I Wish I Knew How to Quit You

2:54

Brokeback Mountain: Official Clip - Nobody's Business But Ours

1:05

Brokeback Mountain: Official Clip - Jack and Ennis Brawl

1:39

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Synopsis

In 1963, rodeo cowboy Jack Twist and ranch hand Ennis Del Mar are hired by rancher Joe Aguirre as sheep herders in Wyoming. One night on Brokeback Mountain, Jack makes a drunken pass at Ennis that is eventually reciprocated. Though Ennis marries his longtime sweetheart, Alma and Jack marries a fellow rodeo riders, the two men keep up their tortured and sporadic affair over the course of 20 years.

Director: Ang Lee
Producer: Diana Ossana, James Schamus
Screenwriter: Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Alberta Film Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Good Machine, Focus Features, River Road Entertainment
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Sexuality|Some Violence)
Genre: Romance, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 9, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 11, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $83.0M
Runtime: 2h 14m
Sound Mix: Surround, DTS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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