Originally broadcast on HBO, this docu-drama is the very model of a prestige project, boasting a stellar cast of indie-faves, including Steve Buscemi, Dylan Baker, Jeremy Davies, Peter Fonda, Janeane Garafalo, Laura Linney, and Christina Ricci, as well as familiar TV stars (Joshua Jackson from Dawson's Creek, and Emmy-winner Camryn Manheim of The Practice). But their presence only distracts from a powerful and tragic story that needed no celebrity boost. Based on Moises Kaufman's play of the same name, The Laramie Project puts a human face on the murder of Laramie, Wyoming resident Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who, in 1998, was brutally beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die. Kaufman and members of New York's Tectonic Theatre project went to Laramie to interview the locals, eventually mounting a theatre piece comprised of monologues based on these interviews. Intercutting documentary with dramatic footage, this film focuses as much on the wrenching interview process and how it affected troupe members as it does on the subjects themselves, all with an earnestness that, frankly, smacks of Emmy bait. An optional purchase. (K. Lee Benson)
The Laramie Project
HBO, 96 min., not rated, VHS: $49.95, DVD: $24.98 Volume 17, Issue 5
The Laramie Project
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