Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | Final Verdict
The Story:
Latter Days is a gay romantic drama about a young man who takes on a bet to seduce one of the four Mormons that moved in next door to him. And since this is a romance, you know where it goes.
Elder Aaron Davis (Max Sandvoss) moves to LA with three other missionaries to spread the faith. He shares an apartment with three other men next door to Christian (Wes Ramsey), a waiter and over sexed gay man living with his gal pal Julie (Rebekah Johnson). Both Julie and Christian work at the same restaurant, and often swap gossip and jokes about their sexual escapades with the other staff. When Christian mentions the Mormons that moved in next door, the group make bets that he can’t score one of them.
Christian and Julie start devising a plan to hook Christian up with Aaron, who seems the easiest of the four men. Things quickly move in Christian’s favor when he meets up with Aaron in the laundry room, where they swap favorite movie lines and discover they have something in common. Soon Aaron becomes comfortable with Christian.
When Christian injures himself in the yard and starts bleeding, Aaron takes him inside and nurses his wound. As it turns out, the cut is on Christian’s butt cheek, so he must strip down to his jock strap. While Aaron attends to his wound, Christian begins to seduce him.
Aaron is quickly drawn in and is about to submit but seems a bit hesitant. Christian attempts to make him feel more comfortable by telling him that it doesn’t have to mean anything. Unfortunately, this has the opposite effect on Aaron, who is offended that Christian thinks sex is nothing but a game. He calls him shallow and they part.
To prove that he’s not shallow, Christian volunteers for a charity that brings meals to people suffering from AIDS. When he sees Aaron again and mentions his volunteer work, Aaron doesn’t buy it and gets annoyed with him.
It isn’t until Aaron’s missionary partner, Elder Ryder (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), gets into an accident and Christian comforts Aaron with a hug that things advance once more. The hug turns into a kiss just as the other missionaries walk into the apartment and see them. Aaron is sent home to face disapproval and shame. As with any romance, Christian realizes that he’s in love with Aaron and must find him.
Some Thoughts:
Aside from Mary Kay Place, who plays Aaron’s mother, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the role of Elder Ryder, the acting is horrendous. Jacqueline Bissett, who plays the restaurant owner who is grieving the death of a close friend, can’t make her grief even remotely believable.
There is some chemistry between Sandvoss and Ramsey, but it’s not enough to sit through Latter Days.
Final Verdict:
As a gay romance, Latter Days would work if the acting was half decent and the writing was better. A decent script and acting can make up for poor direction, lighting, and cinematography.
Most gay and lesbian movies released prior to 2005 were made with extremely low budgets, and actors and directors usually had little to no experience. Because of that I tend to give these movies a pass if they have some redeeming aspects, but Latter Days does not even meet those low expectations.
