Kimberly French Heath Ledger (left) and Jake Gyllenhaal (right) star in Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain."

By L.A. Johnson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Brokeback Mountain" has been called a classic chick flick, a great date film, that "gay cowboy movie" and, more disparagingly, even "Bareback Mountain."

Whatever it's termed, the controversial not-so-little art film that could has become a crossover and critical success.

It's finally here and it is queer, in a sense, though the film's essence and appeal are much broader than that, but are Pittsburgh-area moviegoers getting used to it?

	Related Coverage: 'Mountain' one of many films for producer from area 'Brokeback Mountain' wins four Globes (1/17/06) Movie Review: 'Mountain' lassos pain and beauty in men's love story (1/13/06)

Some are, judging from the brisk business the film did in local theaters last weekend playing to crowds of women and men, husbands and wives, gay couples, straight couples and even people wearing cowboy hats.

"Brokeback Mountain" opened on two of four screens at the CineMagic Manor Theatre in Squirrel Hill and was screened to near-capacity or sold-out crowds at Loews Waterfront in West Homestead.

Shortly after 11 a.m. Friday, a full two hours before the first showing of the film at the Waterfront, people were pulling up and parking in front of the cineplex just to run inside to get advanced tickets for later showings. Pricey VIP seats for the 10:30 p.m. show Friday already were almost sold out at 11:30 a.m.

"It was nice to see a movie with two gay characters and no drag queens," said Bill Lucki, 49, of Monroeville, after seeing the 1 p.m. show at Loews Friday with his partner, Ronald Weber. "America needs to see that they're real people."

"The gay characters weren't psychotic, pathological serial killers or the gay best friend who decorates," added Mr. Weber, 42, of Monroeville, who expected protests of the film here, though none materialized.

"It was about love, pure and simple. ... Anybody with an open mind can't help but be touched." -- Laura Horowitz, 51, Squirrel Hill "It really showed the fear that gay people live under, even today." -- Bill Lucki, 49, Monroeville "It was a great film. I felt troubled and sad after seeing it. ... Every straight man/woman that is against gays should see this movie, especially President Bush!" -- Maria Fox,32, Bridgeville "I haven't been to a movie in years where I saw crowds reacting and talking the way they did in reaction to this one. Several organizations have utilized the movie 'Crash' as a medium to open the door to discussion regarding race, racial tensions and changing people's perspectives. Perhaps it's time to do likewise [with gay and lesbian issues] with 'Brokeback Mountain.' " -- Edward Burau, 54, Wilkins

" 'Brokeback Mountain' redefines what a gay movie is," says Point Park University film student Alan Taccone, 19, of the South Side Flats, who saw it Saturday afternoon with a friend at the Waterfront after finding Friday night shows sold out. "It is not colorful, campy or flamboyant."

Last weekend, moviegoers lined the halls of the Manor waiting to get into one of the nine daily showings of the film.

"It was unbelievable," Cine-Magic Theatres owner Rick Stern said. "It was sold out all weekend on both screens -- except during the Steelers game. The last time we did this kind of business was when 'Fahrenheit 9/11' was out."

"At one point, I felt as though I were watching an adaptation of 'Romeo & Juliet,' " says Jennifer Matesa, 41, of Shadyside, who saw the film Sunday afternoon at the Manor with her husband. "The love was so extraordinarily deep and so tragically prevented by all the surrounding characters, and at times the characters themselves, it made my heart bleed."

She wasn't alone.

"The lady sitting next to me was literally an emotional disaster at the end of the movie; she was sobbing," says Blake McDonald, 24, of Oakland, who saw the film with Mr. Taccone Saturday afternoon.

"I went into it thinking that the movie had a lot more to do with or only to do with sexuality, but there's so much more to it," he says. "It's a movie that anybody can get something out of if they can get over the fact that it's two men kissing."

And for many moviegoers, the love story between the two main characters -- Ennis del Mar played by Heath Ledger and Jack Twist portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal -- overshadowed the fact that they were men.

"The ending moment is just so poignant. It just sums up everything about how these two men are trapped in their situations, no fault of their own," says Ariel Horowitz, 17, of Squirrel Hill, who saw the movie twice on Friday, with friends in the afternoon and with her parents and brother in the evening. "They just felt so much for one another, and it was just completely doomed."

The film, which opened more than a month ago in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, seemed a long time in coming to the 'Burgh for those who were anxious to see it.

"To open in Salt Lake City and the South before it opened here?" says Susan Glendenning, 47, of O'Hara, who contemplated driving to Cleveland to see the movie sooner. "What does that say about Pittsburgh?"

Ms. Glendenning, who saw the film Friday afternoon at the Waterfront with a friend, finds it frustrating that Pittsburgh doesn't get the latest movies right away.

"I don't know whether it's just what other people think of us or whether it really is a conservative, slow-to-adapt-to-change area," she says. "It was a beautiful movie. ... Their love was so intense and so obvious, but that they had to hide it. The fact that they had to live a lie speaks volumes of the time."

Like many, she was eager to see the film because of all the awards hype it has received. In recent weeks, the buzz about the film has become nearly deafening.

The movie already has grossed more than $30.8 million in the United States since it opened Dec. 9, reports www.boxofficemojo.com.

Variety reports that from Friday through Sunday, the Pittsburgh theaters in which the film opened grossed more than $20,000, a high figure for even a Hollywood blockbuster.

"Brokeback Mountain" picked up four Golden Globes Monday night for Best Motion Picture -- Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Song, cementing its standing as a strong Oscar contender.

Even before the Globes, "Brokeback Mountain," which was adapted from an E. Annie Proulx short story of the same name, had received best director nods from nine other film critics groups and myriad other accolades.

Despite the critical acclaim, the provocative film has generated some controversy on both sides of the fence post. In a Jan. 5 review, "Today" show film critic Gene Shalit called Gyllenhaal's character, Jack Twist, a "sexual predator," raising the ire of gay rights groups. He later apologized for using the term. A few days later, a Salt Lake City-area theater complex canceled the scheduled run of the film without explanation.

Christian Web sites such as www.decentfilms.com, www.pluggedinonline.com and www.christianitytodaymovies. com have lauded the quality of the filmmaking but decried the picture's gay-themed content, The New York Times reported.

"Ultimately, this is a piece of art, and if you don't want to see it, don't go see it," says Ariel's dad, Michael Horowitz, 50, of Squirrel Hill.

"It was very good. People walk away with a message that says love is love, whether it's heterosexual or homosexual."