Dallas Buyers Club is a 2013 American biographical drama film, co-written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) was an AIDS patient diagnosed in the mid 1980s when HIV/AIDS treatments were under-researched, while the disease was not understood and highly stigmatized. As part of the experimental AIDS treatment movement, he smuggled unapproved pharmaceutical drugs into Texas for treating his symptoms, and distributed them to fellow people with AIDS by establishing the "Dallas Buyers Club" while facing opposition from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Two fictional supporting characters, Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner), and Rayon (Jared Leto), were composite roles created from the writer's interviews with transgender AIDS patients, activists, and doctors.
Screenwriter Borten interviewed Woodroof in 1992 and wrote the script, which he polished with writer Wallack in 2000, and then sold to producer Robbie Brenner. Several other actors, directors, and producers who were attached at various times to the development of the film left the project. Universal Pictures also tried to make the film, but did not. A couple of screenwriters wrote drafts that were rejected. In 2009, producer Brenner involved McConaughey, because of his Dallas origins, the same as Woodroof's. Brenner selected the first draft, written by Borten and Wallack, for the film, and then Vallée was set to direct the film. Principal photography began on November 11, 2012, in New Orleans, Louisiana, continuing for 25 days of filming, which also included shooting in Baton Rouge. Brenner and Rachel Winter co-produced the film. The official soundtrack album was featured by various artists, and was released digitally on October 29, 2013, by the Relativity Music Group.
Dallas Buyers Club premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and was released theatrically in the United States on November 1, 2013, by Focus Features, strategically entering wide release on November 22 for award season. The film grossed over $27 million domestically and $27.9 million internationally, the box office revenue returned over $55 million against a budget of $5 million in 182-days of a theatrical run. It grossed over $4.5 million from DVD, and over $3 million from Blu-ray sales. The film received widespread critical acclaim, resulting in numerous accolades. Most recognized the performances of McConaughey and Leto, who respectively received the Academy Award for Best Actor and for Best Supporting Actor at the 86th Academy Awards, making this the first film since Mystic River (2003), and only the fifth movie ever, to win both awards. The film also won for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, having received Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing nominations.
