Latter Days (2003)

A promiscuous gay party animal falls for a young Mormon missionary, leading to crisis, cliché, and catastrophe.

Director:

C. Jay Cox

Writer:

C. Jay Cox

Stars:

Steve Sandvoss, Wes Ramsey, Amber Benson

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Sandvoss	...	Elder Aaron Davis
Wes Ramsey	...	Christian Markelli
Rebekah Johnson	...	Julie Taylor (as Rebekah Jordan)
Amber Benson	...	Traci Levine
Khary Payton	...	Andrew
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Lila Montagne
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Elder Paul Ryder
Rob McElhenney	...	Elder Harmon
Dave Power	...	Elder Gilford
Erik Palladino	...	Keith Griffin
Mary Kay Place	...	Sister Gladys Davis
Jim Ortlieb	...	Brother Farron Davis
Linda Pine	...	Susan Davis
Bob Gray	...	Susan's Husband
Judee Morton	...	Noreen (as Judith Morton Fraser)

Storyline

Aaron Davis (Steve Sandvoss) and Christian Markelli (Wes Ramsey) are the two most opposite people in the world. Aaron is a young Elder (or a Mormon missionary) who wants to do his family proud and is quite passionate about his religion and film. Christian is a shallow WeHo waiter/party boy who only looks forward to bedding a new guy every night. After Aaron and three other missionaries move into the apartment across from Christian, his friends bet him $50 that he can't get one of them to jump into the sack, so he instantly latches onto Aaron. There are two problems, though - Christian is falling in love with Aaron and the Mormons are not the biggest fans of the homosexual community. Once Aaron is discovered, the two have to go through trials of regret, loss, perseverance, and forgiveness if they both want to get to the thing that matters to them most: each other.

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Plot Keywords:

christian | missionary | mormon | mormon missionary | bet | 

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Taglines:

Aaron prays. Christian plays... Opposites attract.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [de] TLA Releasing

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 July 2004 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Eshates meres

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$850,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,174 (Hong Kong) (17 December 2004)

Gross:

$5,174 (Hong Kong) (17 December 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Funny Boy Films, Davis Entertainment Filmworks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the beginning of the film, Julie (Rebekah Jordan) suggests to Christian (Wes Ramsey) that they go to Funny Boy after work for karaoke and margaritas. Funny Boy Films is the production company that produced Latter Days.

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Goofs

At the scene outdoors of the airport terminal Christian goes to reenter the airport but the door is "frozen shut". However the camera is pulled back enough that we see that he is blocking the door from opening with his foot. He makes two attempts and both are blocked by his left sneaker.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Elder Aaron Davis: When I first came to Los Angeles, it looked like just this mass of dots... all jumbled and disconnected. It was pretty disorienting.

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Crazy Credits

A Special Thank You to... The Erik Palladino Screening Room and His Xylophone Backup Singers

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Connections

References Young Frankenstein (1974)

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Soundtracks

"Younger Than You Are"
Written by C. Jay Cox and Eric Allaman
Published by Potemkin Publishing
Produced by Eric Allaman

User Reviews

As a gay RM, it moves me deeply every time I watch it

I love so much about this movie: the music, the cinematography, the acting, the story, and all the Mormon clichés. Just because they are clichés doesn't mean they aren't true! This is not perfect, it is a movie after all. Though excommunications are held in well-lit rooms with nice big desks and chairs, it was totally appropriate to portray it as the dark, cold scene they did in this film. I also liked the scene with the angel waiting at the bus stop, smoking a cigarette. I thought that was so cool. I mean, I believe that angels do watch over us. What is one supposed to do while waiting? Smoking is a way some people pass the time while waiting. I loved the irony cause Mormons make such a deal about smoking. I saw this movie 7 times in theaters in Salt Lake, and cried every time! It blows me away. And I've watched it 3 times on video now and it still makes me cry every time. I would jump at the chance to see it again on a big screen. I hope the Tower Theatre in Salt Lake will bring it back regularly at General Conference time, as a cult movie (pun intended, but no offense intended).