IT’S
A
TOSSUP
whether
the
Mormon
Church
would
rather
you
see
“Angels
in
America”
or
“Latter
Days.”
If
you
were
under
their
control
they’d
probably
excommunicate
you
for
watching
either,
and
execute
you
if
you
saw
both.
There’s
no
comparison
between
Tony
Kushner’s
Pulitzer
Prize
winner
and
C.
Jay
Cox’s
(“Sweet
Home
Alabama”)
more
modest
entertainment.
But
measured
against
other
gay
romantic
dramedies,
“Latter
Days”
stands
up
well.
Perhaps
the
closest
comparison
is
“The
Broken
Hearts
Club.”
Wes
Ramsey,
plays
an
agnostic
Christian.
He’s
a
gay
L.A.
party
boy,
a
West
Coast
version
of
Brian
on
“Queer
As
Folk.”
Aaron
Davis
(Steve
Sandvoss)
moves
into
his
apartment
complex
(and
later
his
heart).
Christian
knows
him
only
as
Elder
Davis,
however,
since
—
here
comes
the
drama
—
Aaron
is
a
Mormon
missionary
and
can’t
use
his
first
name.
Christian
works
as
a
waiter
at
Lila’s
restaurant,
where
Lila
(Jacqueline
Bisset)
acts
as
the
sassy
den
mother
to
the
staff.
“Gossip
is
the
lowest
form
of
discourse,”
she
reminds
them,
before
tossing
off
a
juicy
tidbit.
When
the
subject
of
the
Mormon
missionaries
comes
up,
Christian’s
friends
challenge
him
to
convert
Aaron
or
one
of
his
hot
roommates
before
they
convert
him.
Taking
Christian’s
side
is
his
roommate,
Julie
(Rebekah
Jordan),
an
aspiring
singer.
Betting
against
him
are
Andrew
(Khary
Payton),
who’s
dated
a
Mormon
or
two
himself,
and
Traci
(Amber
Benson),
who
played
lesbian
Tara
on
TV’s
“Buffy
the
Vampire
Slayer.”
ACCORDING
TO
THE
Hollywood
formula,
Christian
should
win
the
bet
but
prove
his
love
by
saying
he
lost,
but
“Latter
Days”
isn’t
that
simple.
Meeting
someone
to
whom
sex
is
more
significant
than
a
handshake
makes
Christian
begin
to
question
his
values.
He
knows
everyone
thinks
he’s
shallow,
but
he
never
realized
that
was
a
bad
thing.
Andrew
cons
Christian
into
volunteering
to
deliver
meals
for
Project
Angel
Food,
where
an
AIDS-stricken
client,
Keith
(Erik
Palladino)
helps
nudge
him
toward
a
higher
path.
When
Christian
protests,
“You
don’t
know
me,”
Keith
responds,
“I
used
to
be
you.”
A
chance
encounter
with
Lila
(coincidence
plays
a
big
part
in
this
movie)
shows
Aaron
is
more
effective
when
he
improvises
than
when
he
parrots
Mormon
doctrine.
Aaron’s
roommate
is
not
very
good
at
it
either,
telling
Christian,
“God
hates
homos!”
But
when
God
wants
to
bring
two
men
together,
it
takes
more
than
a
church
to
put
them
asunder.
Or
does
it?
The
worst
line
in
“Latter
Days”
comes
when
Christian
practically
proposes
to
Aaron
and
is
told,
“You
have
no
idea
what
I’d
be
giving
up.”
At
this
point
he’s
headed
back
home
to
Pocatello,
Idaho,
in
disgrace
to
face
excommunication.
Yeah,
who’d
want
to
sacrifice
that?
The
ending
is
inevitable
if
you
believe
in
miracles
and/or
movies,
but
it
takes
too
long
to
get
there
as
our
heroes
have
to
jump
enough
hurdles
to
make
a
Jane
Austen
heroine
quit.
Ramsey
is
appealing,
even
when
Christian
is
at
his
least
likable.
Sandvoss
may
be
blander
than
his
role
demands,
but
when
the
two
guys
get
together
and
fill
the
screen
with
writhing
flesh
I
don’t
think
you’ll
hear
any
complaints.
The
film
garnered
some
publicity
when
its
scheduled
opening
in
Salt
Lake
City
was
canceled.
Officially,
the
theater
chain
dropped
the
booking
on
the
basis
of
“artistic
quality”
(they’ve
shown
worse),
but
an
insider
reportedly
attributed
it
to
pressure
from
conservative
religious
groups.
In
Trey
Parker’s
“Orgazmo,”
a
Mormon
missionary
in
L.A.
became
a
porn
star.
“Latter
Days”
never
gets
that
silly,
but
neither
does
it
become
as
evangelical
as
it
threatens
to
at
times.
It
can
be
seen
as
spiritual,
encouraging
us
to
follow
the
better
sides
of
our
natures.
But
it
certainly
doesn’t
endorse
any
organized
religion,
least
of
all
Mormonism.
