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:

Wes Ramsey, Steve Sandvoss, Mary Kay Place

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 perhaps the two most opposite people in the world. Aaron is a passionate young Elder (a Mormon missionary) who wants to do his family and church proud. Christian is a shallow West Hollywood waiter/party boy who only looks forward to what man the next night will bring to him. After Aaron and three other Elders move into the apartment across from his, Christian's friends make a bet that he can't get one of them into the sack, so he instantly latches onto Aaron, suspecting there is more than meets the eye to him. There are two problems, though: Christian finds himself questioning his own identity as he falls in love with Aaron and the Mormon Church treats homosexuality as a sinful lifestyle. When Aaron's burgeoning sexuality is discovered, they will have to go through trials of regret, loss, perseverance, and forgiveness if they want to get to the thing that matters to them most: each other.

---

Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | nudity | gay interest | gay lead character | christian | 

---

Taglines:

Aaron prays. Christian plays... Opposites attract.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany] TLA Releasing

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 July 2004 (Israel)

Also Known As:

A Tentação de Aaron

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$850,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$33,956, 6 February 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$819,939, 4 July 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

This film was originally to be shown in the "Madstone" theater in Salt Lake City, Utah (which has a heavy LDS population) on the day of its national release, but the theater pulled it a few weeks before it was scheduled to open. The reason given was that the film "lacked artistic merit", but the film's promoters contend that the theater management gave in to local pressure not to show the film due to its unflattering portrayal of the LDS Church. The film was shown a few weeks later in a different Salt Lake theater and attracted a large audience.

---

Goofs

Aaron is depicted being exposed to electroshock treatments while staying at a mental institution. These are activities which the Mormon Church may have approved of several decades ago, but not when this film was made. By the 1990s, an organization called "Evergreen" had become the unofficial organization run by Mormon psychotherapists that the church would still be using today, and they would not tolerate or recommend such treatment. Aaron would most likely be sent to therapy with one of these therapists in an effort to change his sexual preference.

---

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.

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

Alternate Versions

This film is available on DVD in the US in R-rated and unrated versions.

---

Connections

References Tommy (1975)

---

Soundtracks

Man on a Mission
Written by C. Jay Cox
Performed by Bobby Joyner
Produced by Mary White

User Reviews

surprisingly touching...

I'm not going to go into my entire life story here, but I will tell you that i'm a straight person, so it may seem a little odd that I'd like to watch this movie. I work at blockbuster video and I was running movies one day when I came across a movie entitled "Latter Days." This was intriguing to me because I grew up in a mormon household (but am no longer a firm believer). I read that back and was instantly intrigued. I have much respect for both the mormon community and the gay community, so watching this was something I had been anticipating for a while. I was quite curious how the director would portray the life or a mormon who is hiding his sexuality. All in all, I have to say that this movie is definitely worth watching. There have been some negative comments posted about the quality and about how the dialogue didn't seem to flow amazingly well at times, but I didn't notice anything. I was so wrapped up in the plot and the portrayal of the movie that I didn't notice much of anything that was bad. Most of the people that have left comments on here have been gay, so I assume that most of the people watching this movie would be gay males, and if that be the case, it can become very poignant and heart wrenching at times. I know what it's like to be shunned from the people you've grown up with, not exactly how aaron does, but I have a definite feeling and this movie went straight to my heart. As for recommending this movie, I am all for it. Whether you'll enjoy it as much as I did really jumps from person to person, but I say that you should go out and rent the movie just to make sure.