Four holy young men from Mormon country go to L.A. to preach the gospel to urban heathens. But, one of the young Mormons is a repressed gay who "happens" to cross paths with a very "out" young L.A. party boy. (What would film plots be without coincidences?). These two, very different, young men become friends, and in the process, affect each other's outlook which, in turn, sets up an inevitable clash between gay and Mormon cultures.

That is the premise of "Latter Days", a 2003 film, written and directed by C.Jay Cox, himself a former Mormon missionary. The film's story is, of course, highly relevant, especially in contemporary America. Variations of this story need to be told, and retold, and retold, hopefully in future films ... because the underlying theme brings to light the hatefully superior attitude that Christian fundamentalists too often display toward gays. By its nature, "Latter Days" is provocative, and I doubt that the film was well received in Provo or Pocatello, even though the script is intelligent, sensitive, and insightful.

Director/writer C. Jay Cox makes a valiant attempt at creating a gay-oriented film for a mainstream audience, but he pads his story with so many contrivances that don't allow the film to resonate as it should as a thoughtful treatise on the hostile incompatibility between organized religion and homosexuality. The story focuses on the ironically named Christian, a standard-issue WeHo party-boy who waits tables at a fancy LA eatery, and Aaron, a fresh-faced Mormon missionary, one of four uptight, white-collared boys who plant themselves next door to Christian to spread the word of their religion. This sitcom-sounding set-up leads to a $50 bet made among the restaurant wait staff to see if Christian can bed Aaron, obviously leading to complications that look anything but promising to either the characters or the viewer.

Fortunately, the film improves marginally once the two get together, even though the evolution of their relationship is inevitable according to the conventions set forth by Cox. What is intriguing at this point is that Aaron's self-acceptance as a gay man is not as automatically liberating as one would expect. Instead, Aaron challenges the narcissistic Christian for his vapidity, and in turn, Christian looks inward as he becomes close to a sardonic AIDS patient. The movie resonates most when it deals directly with the restricted attitudes of the Mormon Church as embodied most viscerally by Aaron's mother and when Christian comes to accept his own lifestyle limitations. However, Cox layers too many coincidences toward the end and eventually disavows his social commentary in favor of a predictable ending.

The music, which is actually integral to the plot, is unfortunately the type of irritating LA-based pop that distracts from the drama, in particular, a song performed by Rebekah Jordan (playing fellow waitress Julie) with lyrics courtesy of Christian's Palm Pilot diary. The performances are variable. Wes Ramsey certainly looks the part of Christian, though his stereotypical character doesn't give him much opportunity to provide depth even as his character gets more serious-minded. On the other hand, Steve Sandvoss is surprisingly substantive as Aaron, bringing a lot of conviction to a role that demands a level of naiveté that could be alienating in more cynical hands.

In a role directly opposite to the hustler he played in last year's "Mysterious Skin", Joseph Gordon-Levitt is disappointingly one-note as Aaron's homophobic colleague; but Mary Kay Place brings searing candor to the role of Aaron's intolerant mother, especially in her blistering kitchen confrontation with Aaron. In a surprising appearance, the still-beautiful Jacqueline Bisset plays the restaurant owner Lila with effortless worldly élan. The film provides true value for its perspective. I only wish Cox trusted the controversial premise more than he does here. The DVD package has deleted scenes; three music videos; less-than-insightful audio commentary from Cox, Ramsey, and Sandvoss; a better making-of featurette; and a short film from Cox, "Reason Thirteen".

I love so much about this movie: the music, the cinematography, the acting, the story, and all the Mormon clichés. Just because they are clichés doesn't mean they aren't true! This is not perfect, it is a movie after all. Though excommunications are held in well-lit rooms with nice big desks and chairs, it was totally appropriate to portray it as the dark, cold scene they did in this film. I also liked the scene with the angel waiting at the bus stop, smoking a cigarette. I thought that was so cool. I mean, I believe that angels do watch over us. What is one supposed to do while waiting? Smoking is a way some people pass the time while waiting. I loved the irony cause Mormons make such a deal about smoking. I saw this movie 7 times in theaters in Salt Lake, and cried every time! It blows me away. And I've watched it 3 times on video now and it still makes me cry every time. I would jump at the chance to see it again on a big screen. I hope the Tower Theatre in Salt Lake will bring it back regularly at General Conference time, as a cult movie (pun intended, but no offense intended).