leethomas-11621 Fine piece of whimsy. Wait for the last scene! (viewed 12/16)

RashomonLaStrada After 974,000+ heterosexual feel-good movies, we finally get a good-old-boy down-to-earth heart-of-America gay feel-good movie! Not feel-good in terms of hunky guys showing off their sweaty chests. But a story that shows people being nice and loving and generous (toward gay characters).This is the freshest, most unique gay-themed movie I've seen (and I've seen a lot). It doesn't take place in a big city. It doesn't include homophobic rants. Big Eden asks us to believe that in the deepest right-wing part of the Rocky Mountains the colorful townsfolk would try to play matchmaker for two gay men; that a countrified old man nearing the end of his life would tell his gay son, "Did I teach you shame?" and then say "Can't you see what a good job god did here?" (forget psychotherapy, gay men who were rejected by their families and communities can just watch this movie.) Two big questions guide the plot: Will Henry choose between his boyhood crush (dad of two, recently divorced) or the quiet, native-American shopkeeper who shyly dotes on him? And will Henry remain in his hometown of Big Eden, MT, or return to his adopted home in New York? This provides enough drama and interest without adding in drugs or dance clubs or gay bashing or screaming drag queens for comic relief.My theory about the positive community in Gay Eden: I think the town would react very negatively if a big city gay couple bought land in Big Eden, moved there and tried to dance together at the town barbecue. But Henry and Pike were from Big Eden -- they belonged there... when Pike says that he wants Henry to be happy, the most stereotypical of all the rednecks tells him, "We want you to be happy also." And I truly believed him.Feel good yet?

giacomo-picozzi I saw it many times and I enjoyed even more than "The family Stone".Well, in the "family" there are good actors and a myth (Keaton), not only the very nice story but here we have something that simply conquers our hearts.The characters may be not real, but sometimes we can even dream, can't we?Please go on giving us other stories that let us think and give us joy.Ciao, Giacomop.s. does anyone know if there is any chance to buy somewhere the script or the novel written by Thomas Bezucha? Thanks to let me know, Giacomo

bruceprzybylski It's really hard to find a portrayal of gay men, much less men-of-color, who are not prissy, have a fashion obsession or catty. This movie does a pretty good job, except for the "fruit fly" female character playing the manager to the lead male's painter. Man, does she ever shut up!?! She's on the screen for mere minutes and you want to never see her again, a total throwaway character.The story is typical guy holding torch for some guy who showed him some attention when he was younger, now after 20+ years he has a chance to see him again, blah blah blah. The truth is any gay man over the age of 25 realizes dreams like that never come true and if you are lucky you find love in places and whenever you least expect it. So that part of the movie comes off as pretty stereotypical, gay man staring and acting like a big ol' girl when the straight crush is around. The Pike Character was a real good job by Eric Schweig. It was great to see a brown man who isn't willowy and hanging on a middle-aged white guy like he's going to faint. The shyness of the character is interesting, no cloud of shame or second-class "so grateful you white/straight people like me". You don't even know where his heart lies until well into the movie, moving into it like a puff of air on the edge of a wheat field and forming gentle designs as it moves across. When the time comes and the lead character is in Pike's arms you see a really powerful image, the white lead is a molehill to Pike's mountain and probably one of the best kisses on film.