I’ll admit, I just wanted to see what all the fuss is about. Ang Lee does get some mileage out of the gay cowboy taboo, and the movie conveys some appreciation for what the experience of it might be like. As a love story I only halfway bought it, I’m not sure why. As a portrayal of life in the Rocky Mountains and neighboring small towns, I loved it. My favorite gay/macho taboo movie, though, is still the Japanese Taboo – if you think gay cowboys are riské, try gay samurai.