Mar 12, 2004  |  By: Steve Warren  | COMMENTS     

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.