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Yeah a spectacular prestation, heck this guy married Madonna! Sean Penn is a true actor, and his performance is fantastic. He studied the activist's manners and through some hard work rendered a true loving version of Milk.

when i saw this film i thought sean penn was gay his performance was unbelievably convincing

I have to agree!
Sean Penn didn't act as Milk, he WAS Milk. I truly believed it was Milk we were watching.
A remarkable performance indeed. Sean Penn completely merged in the role. One of the best performances ever!

I just saw the movie for the first time. I couldn't agree with you more, Marz, about Sean Penn's performance in this movie. It was one of the most remarkable performances I've ever seen. He most certainly deserved his Oscar!

No.
Please do not make negative comments about a film YOU NEVER SAW. It makes you look stupid.

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I think he was amazing. I can't imagine any other actor being able to portray Harvey as well as Sean Penn.

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Penn was really good but not in the big leagues of all time.
I only sort of liked the film. It was a decent watch and I'm glad I saw it because Gus van Sant is a good director.

I agree that is was an amazing performance although I would have doubts about putting it in the best of all time, perhaps I'll come to appreciate it more over the next few years but I think currently it is too early to call it one of the best performances of all time.

Benicio Del Toro gave one of the five best performances Ive ever seen in Things we lost in the fire and due to no one seeing the film didnt get as much as a Luisiana critics award nom. His performance in 21 Grams was as important and big as Penns,one of three leads,still he was insulted by being nominated for best supporting actor and Penn leading(except by BAFTA who concidered both guys leading)
Day-Lewis gave the best performance Ive ever seen in Gangs of new york but was due to his extreme fame,a 5-year absence from film and stealing the show put in best Leading when he had a big supporting roleso nominations doesnt always make sense al Brokeback or Training day.
Penns Oscar for Mystic River was for also for his work in 21 Grams and this compensation thing is really a big part of the Oscars. You can chose to put as much stock in Broadcast critics awards for instance,Oscars and the nominations are getting more and more bought by studios due to extreme campaigning.
Penn was really good here,brave work but I do admit getting a bit tired with the pretentions. Directing or acting regardless,he always takes himself too seriously,always existential dramas that are real downers filled with angst. He knows his craft well but I would really welcome a comedy.
Brolin was criminally overlooked in 2008 due to Ledgers passing.
With the performances that include voiceacting(almost the only one who does that besides DDL) and mannerisms,as in Penn style becoming the character and erasing ones personality,I say Benicio Del Toro with 21 Grams,Things we lost,The usual suspects,Sin City,Che,Traffic,Fear and loathing etc. is the best one working todaysparse but amazing.

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i agree. Sean Penn is an amazing actor. who would have thought that the guy in Fast Times at Ridgemont High would go on to be such a great actor? for that matter who would have thought that Jessica Lange would be so great after seeing her debut in King Kong?

IMHO Sean Penn and Daniel Day-Lewis (perhaps Philip Seymour-Hoffman too) are the best actors currently working.
I've seen all of them playing flawlessly the most different roles that we can imagine.
Talking exclusively about Sean Penn's best performance it's hard to choose one. I mean he was equally fantastic in 'Dead Man Walking', '21 Grams', 'Mystic River' and 'Milk'. It would be very difficult to pick one over the other.

Yah, I bet you like watching Sean Penn be gay huh?
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IMO people who take these roles which are super obvious attempts to garner awards should be banned from the Oscars
So what then, people should be prevented from making movies about controversial figures? Or should movies about controversial figures just be omitted from Academy consideration because you think their motives might be impure?
"Super obvious attempts to garner awards" indeed.
What a maroon!
I am the sod-off shotgun.

I was not impressed, Rourke schooled him hands down that year and IMO people who take these roles which are super obvious attempts to garner awards should be banned from the Oscars. They seem to have gotten the whole mental disability = good acting out of their system but I suppose a bunch of straight actors being daring enough to play gays is still ringing someone's bell. Far as I'm concerned Sean Penn is a pompous beep and it's all been downhill since Shanghai Surprise.
Wigga Please

I thought Penn was very good in Mystic River, but the clear best of the nominees was Ben Kingsley for his career-best turn in House of Sand and Fog.
Yes, Penn's turn in Milk is one of the great performances of recent years, and the best performance to win the best actor Oscar for years if not decades. Poor Mickey Rourke his terrific performance in The Wrestler had the misfortune of coming out against Penn. Almost any other recent year he'd have walked it.

Actually Penn's performance in this movie is at least 10 times better than that in Mystic River. I wasn't impressed by his charachter at all and I think that 2003 was a very weak year in acting (even Johnny Depp was nominated for Pirates of the Caribbean 1!!!).

It's not only one of Sean's best performances, but also one of the best lead performances of all time.Those who have seen The Times of Harvey Milk know just how perfectly Penn played Milk.It's truly a remarkable performance.I'd put it up there with my all-time favorites, which are Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, Robert De Niro in Raging Bull and of course Sean in Mystic River.

I don't know if it was one of the best, even if Sean Penn was incredible, I wanted to say this was the best movie I've seen in probably 5 years, although I'm a sucker for our civil rights heroes, and Harvey Milk is one of them.

Just watched it again. I agreed on the first viewing and agree now on what was probably my 5th.
Brilliant performance. I forgot I was watching Sean Penn.
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I've only just watched this movie and I totally agree.