Latter Days

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Latter Days ★★½ 2004

Melodramatic gay romance finds wide-eyed young Aaron Davis (Sandvoss), an earnest Mormon missionary from Idaho, sent to bring the good word to the heathens of West Hollywood. This would include his new neighbor, handsome, heedless gay waiter Christian (Ramsey), who sets out to seduce the virgin on a bet. Seeing as how this is a really big religious no-no for Aaron, you know there's trouble ahead, even as the hot twosome find themselves falling in love. Bisset adds some class as sardonic restaurant owner and surrogate mother figure Lila. Writer-director Cox (directing his first film) is a former Mormon and has some definite issues to air but he manages to offer a certain sweetness along with all the overwrought angst. 108m/C DVD . US Steve Sandross, Wes Ramsey, Rebekah Jordan, Khary Payton, Amber Benson, Jacqueline Bisset, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Erik Palladino, Mary Kay Place, Rob McElhenney, David Poser, Jim Ortlieb; D: C. Jay Cox; W: C. Jay Cox; C: Carl F. Bartels; M: Eric Allaman.