Latter Days (2004)

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I saw this movie on a lot of gay movie top lists, but unfortunately it didn't wow me. The idea and the beginning were quite interesting, but all the destiny coincidences ruined it for me. I'm not for 100% reality and depressing stuff, but the movie was very predictable. The love story seemed rushed. Right at the airport they suddenly love each other (oh and I don't have to tell you how much cliché airport scenes are). I wish they would have shown us some moments, where the 2 boys spend some time together, hanging out or whatever. There also wasn't much chemistry between the actors. At one point I noticed how cheesy the dialogue was- the childhood story about the snow storm. It seemed like a try to sound deep and artistic, but it didn't touch me at all, because it was so artificial and badly written. I liked the explanation how our life is similar to a Sunday comic, but I hoped the conclusion would be how our lives are insignificant to the vast universe, instead we got a line about believing in God's mysterious ways and taking crap he throws at you as something meaningful. But that's just my philosophy. The movie is OK to watch if you're bored and if you want to watch something that will make you believe in destiny and signs, but if you're a realistic down to earth person and hate soap opera dramas, then this movie might annoy you.

Back in the 1930s and 40s, a popular genre film was the womens film, quickly made but well-crafted romances with Carole Lombard, Kay Francis, Joan Crawford, or Bette Davis, films in which the lead character struggled with her values and sometimes her career in order to find, at last, True Love. This film is not too far removed in spirit, intelligently updated, no doubt, but still basically and essentially a Romance, even if it does confront a modern dragon in the guise of fundamentalist religion. I never found that watching this film was dull, as the plot is compelling even if one suspects the ending--the actors are appealingly fresh and attractive, the villains far too easy to boo, but veteran Jacqueline Bisset turns in a warm tribute in the mode of Lauren Bacall school as a wise restaurateur, and there are other cameos that are a delight;For a young person struggling with coming out of the closet, this film might be a joy and a revelation; for others, less so. It is film crafted with affection at a time when there is massive and social change and certainly reflects how various liberties can clash in a multi-layered culture.

I stumbled upon this film just a couple of days ago and it's stayed with me ever since. I've already watched it twice.One thing I like VERY much about "Latter Days" is that it has a happy ending. So many gay-themed films, even when revolving around romance, end in death or disillusionment. It's refreshing to witness a portrayal of a gay couple who, despite a great deal of conflict and major obstacles, find true love and a future together. It DOES happen in real life and, to that end, the film is as "realistic" as any tragedy.Many of the actors deserve mention: Wes Ramsey as Christian, the gay party boy, is excellent. Jacqueline Bissett, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mary Kay Place and Erik Palladino bring something special to their smaller roles. But it is Steve Sandvoss who knocks it out of the park as Elder Aaron Davis, the sweet, shy Mormon missionary who comes to terms with his homosexuality amid the confines of the LDS beliefs.The film is clichéd, no question, but no more so than many romantic movies. If your taste veers toward complete realism, this isn't the film for you. "Latter Days" is basically a drama, but it does contain its share of comedic moments. I myself am not, nor ever have been, a member of the Mormon church, but I have spent a good deal of time around it and have had a number of LDS friends. While I have a certain amount of genuine respect for the church, I would be lying if I said that the portrayals of the Mormon missionaries and families in this film do not ring true.There are a few unbelievable moments, to be sure. As an example, when Christian confronts Elder Ryder about Aaron's whereabouts, Ryder gives in and tells Christian about Aaron's five-hour layover in Salt Lake City. In reality, no missionary with such a lack of sympathy toward "fags" would suddenly soften enough to give out this information."Latter Days" may not be one of the great films of all time, but it brings to light the complex problems that can exist between organized religion, families and homosexuality, with pathos and sensitivity, along with a tug at the heartstrings. For that, it is more than commendable.

Gay romances are rare. Fortunately, that is changing, but slowly. Good gay romances are even rarer; MAKING LOVE (1982) was a good gay romance, but a certain blandness in the script made it fall short of greatness.Great gay romances are virtually impossible to find; Hollywood, even in this day and age, is not shelling out the big bucks for love stories between members of the same sex. So it has been left to the independents to tell the stories of our lives, and LATTER DAYS is a triumphant example of making great art on a shoestring budget.Filmed in just 24 days on a budget of about $850,000.00, LATTER DAYS does not even qualify as a "small" picture in Hollywood parlance, with the average movie budget in Hollywood in the tens of millions. But what they produced with that relatively small amount of money is a gem of a romance in which the lovers just happen to be two men.It must be conceded that there are quite a few clichés floating around here. The story of opposites attracting is as old as time, and the two leads couldn't be more opposite. Christian Markelli (Wes Ramsey) is your basic West Hollywood party boy, who divides his time between working as a waiter at an upscale restaurant called Lila's (a radiant Jacqueline Bisset) and in his free time, getting laid as often as he can, and by as many men. He isn't stupid enough to be unsafe, but he is most definitely a player when we first see him.Enter Elder Aaron Davis of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Steve Sandvoss), and three other young men, doing their required two years of "mission," which consists mostly of knocking on doors and getting rebuffed not just daily, but several times a day. The four move into an apartment in Christian's building and go about their business. Christian takes note of the new arrivals, and something about Aaron makes his gaydar ping.In a typical player move, Christian maneuvers his roommate, an aspiring musician named Julie Taylor (Rebekah Jordan), as well as the rest of the wait staff at Lila's, into a fifty-dollar bet that he can get Aaron Davis into bed within a week.Meanwhile, the young Mormons are not having much fun. They knock on one door and are horrified to find themselves confronted with a gay couple. And in a charming side scene, Aaron stops to comfort Lila, who he sees weeping at a grave in the cemetery.It is a lonely life, and perhaps that makes Aaron susceptible, so when Christian puts the moves on him, he hesitates, but his loneliness has made him vulnerable, so it does not take much effort for Christian to get close to him.Then the unthinkable happens. Alone in the Mormons' apartment, Christian and Aaron kiss, and are discovered by the rest of the mission team. Aaron is immediately sent home "in shame." Christian, who has come to realize that he has fallen in love with Aaron, follows him as far as the airport in Salt Lake City, which gets shut down due to a snowstorm, and the two young men give in to the inevitable and spend the night in a hotel.Aaron's treatment at the hands of his family and his church once he gets home is not pretty. At one point, he says desperately to his angry mother (Mary Kay Place, great as usual), "What if it's not something I did; what if it's who I am?" Her response is a hard slap across the face; she then informs Aaron about the fifty-dollar bet.I won't go any further. Suffice it to say that the two young men change each other in more ways than anyone could expect, and in the end, love does win out. (In this kind of movie it almost has to.) There is also a scathing indictment in here of the LDS Church, in which writer/director C Jay Cox was raised. He knows the milieu, and he pulls no punches.All in all a remarkable achievement for a low-budget independent film; the cast is splendid, the script is wonderful not in spite of, but BECAUSE of all the love-story clichés, and Cox's direction is sure-footed.And if you don't shed tears when you watch this one, check your pulse.