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.

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Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | nudity | gay interest | gay lead character | vito russo test passed | 

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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

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.

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Goofs

When Aaron puts the first bandage on Christian, he puts the lower part over the "strap", in the next take (as we see him putting on the second bandage), we see the first bandage has been put on properly.

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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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Alternate Versions

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

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Connections

References Solaris (2002)

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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

homosexuality and parents

I just finished watching this film today and all I can say is wow. I don't know much if anything about Mormans but I do know about parents who don't understand homosexuality. I like many gay children growing up haven't had the best reception when we told our parents who we are. But something I do know is that it takes time for parents to process the information that we have provided. Some parents never get over the fact that a child of theirs is gay, but even the staunchest religious person can realize that even though their kid is gay they still love them and allow them to live their lives. Just like Aron's mom did and let her son out of the institution when she realized that Christian really loved him.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 July 2004 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Latter Days

Filming Locations:

14412 Friar St, Van Nuys, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$850,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$57,242, 1 February 2004

Gross USA:

$834,685

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$865,028

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