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Regular
Price $24.95
Starring:
Arye Gross,
Eric Schweig,
Tim DeKay,
Louise Fletcher,
George Coe,
Directed By:
Thomas Bezucha,
Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Release Date: 2000
Studio: Wolfe Video
Format:
Color,
DVD-Video,
Letterboxed,
Widescreen,
NTSC,
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Customer Reviews for
Big Eden
Great story and acting; slight letdown at the end
SPOILERS AHEAD!
This is a nice surprise of a movie--heartfelt without being smarmy, intelligent, literate, witty, quirky, and shot in a lovely wooded area. It's about a man in New York who comes back to his native Montana to care for his ailing grandfather. The man is also gay but unattached, though an old flame tries to get together with him again. A more fascinating character is called Pike (Eric Schweig), a Native American who runs the general store but is scared of what he feels for the prodigal fellow, played by Arye Gross. The townspeople turn out to be very warm and tolerant in regard to gay relationships, and they are quite supportive in many respects.
The ending is just a slight letdown: why didn't Arye come clean with Pike instead of letting him think he had gone back to NY for good? They could have had a last-chance encounter at the airport, possibly. And what was Arye's reason for staying in Montana after all? Just because of Pike? Okay, I can see that, but up to the morning he was headed for the airport, we were led to believe he was abandoning everyone.
Still, it is a very sweet film, nothing explicit, very little coarse language, if you are concerned about any of those things.
Big Eden
Well beyond the limits of credulity
I'm not sure what the intentions of the film maker were but clearly we were supposed to have our heartstrings touched by the happy ending. As others have noted, the initial premise of a NYC gay artist returning to his small town home might have provided interesting dynamics and conflicts to be explored, but instead the story revolves around the slapstick caricature of an improbable Montana town where everyone is not only gay-friendly, but intimately involved in getting the queers together, even though the queer boys themselves remain strangely uptight or full of unresolved emotional trauma about their gayness. I would have to say the most interesting part of the movie was figuring out that there was nothing substantial behind all the puzzling and apparently irrational behavior, particularly that of the gay native american, other than said unresolved conflicts, which of course made no sense considering the whole town was unimaginably gay friendly including the rednecks. Also, there is really nothing to explain why the main gay character is supposed to be so irresistible, not only to the two gay high school friends but to everyone else as well. Since it really can't be described as "absurdist" in its presentation, the utter incredibility of the story makes it seem simply hokey. I found only one scene had any real emotional impact, which was when the lead character lets his tears flow as grandpa let's him know he's aware on his grandson's orientation - that did ring true. On the whole though, I'd have to say this movie was, while not unwatchable, not very good either.Big Eden
Big Eden is a BIG accomplishment in human storytelling.
Although I saw "Big Eden" for the first time over 12 months ago, it is a film which resonates - long, long after the closing credits have rolled. I fell in love with everything about this film. It is a piece of beautiful storytelling captured through an extraordinary ensemble cast of characters who bring home the qualities so vital and true in human relationships. The themes are universal, but the fact that this film may appeal to people who appreciate the LGBT genre only makes me want to applaud even more. Bravo, for the sensitive screenplay - and Bravo for such insightful direction. If you hunger for beautiful stories, please place "Big Eden" at the top of your list.Big Eden
I had higher expectations
Unfortunately, I expected more about the movie. Scenery is great and actors' performances are good. The plot could be better worked.Big Eden
The perfect gay fairy tale, wonderfully told
I'd heard about this movie for years, and finally rented it for myself.
The premise is a fable, in that the main character returns to the (wonderful) Montana small-town he grew up in and none of the people there are bothered that he's gay. In fact, they rise to the occasion of matchmaking and encouraging the greater good of romance.
Who could resist the idea of having the freedom to simply be yourself, and to have people see it for love instead of always fixating on it as something to be judged (or worse, stopped)?
The story unfolds slowly (some may find it too slow), and it starts off a little roughly due to Henry Hart's manager being played by someone who is acting with a capital "A" every moment she's onscreen. Once Henry (Arye Gross) arrives in his hometown, the good parts quickly become evident.
Louise Fletcher, best known for her villainous portrayals, is so warm and real here as an old family friend. Henry's ailing grandfather, Sam (George Coe), makes it clear why Henry came back to help him recuperate. There is so much love in that relationship, very warm and genuine and not sappy or overwrought. Henry is clearly at ease taking care of his grandfather and living back in his old home again, because it really IS home and always was.
The town's General Store has a wonderful collection of coots (not all of them old) hanging around, a Greek Chorus for the emotions and plot developments in the film.
And then there's Pike (Eric Schweig), the taciturn Native American man who owns the all-purpose General Store. The viewer cannot help but become smitten with Pike, which for me is an important underlying part of this story.
It isn't obvious at first that Pike owns the store instead of merely working there, because Pike is almost pathologically shy. He has trouble with people he doesn't know well, people who get too personal, and people (period) in large quantities. He quickly gets pressured into delivering meals to Sam and Henry (because Henry is apparently too inept to cook even basics), which the Widow Thayer will cook. When her cooking turns out to be regularly "heart-unhealthy" and also simply _bad_, Pike takes it upon himself to learn cooking and delivers his own meals instead of hers.
But being Pike... he can't bring himself to take credit for what he's doing. Anything that brings attention upon himself is to be avoided. For much of the movie, he talks more to his dog than to other people.
Why is this character compelling, then? To the people around him, Pike might come off as abrupt and maybe even rude, but they KNOW him. They know how he is, and they accept that-- they see beyond it to the reality of what's underneath the behavior that tries so hard to keep people at a distance.
In a way, how these townspeople deal with Pike is like an echo of the larger theme of love and acceptance that the movie brings forth. The terseness (and tendency to literally run away when uncomfortable) are Pike's surface; they focus instead on what's underneath. The same is true for Henry: his being gay means only that the right match for him will be another man. But the desire to _find_ him that match is evident. Henry's never been "attached," and his hometown thinks it's time he found someone special to be with.
This is a wonderful romance, with so many terrific performances all around. The Montana scenery is just gorgeous (a Western Eden if there ever was one).
And though Henry is an artist, there isn't a gay stereotype anywhere within the Big Sky horizon of this film. It's incredibly refreshing to have a gay story where the characters are just regular people. Although the ultra-accepting small-town-America society here is a wonderful fantasy, the gay characters are very much more _real_ than what is usually shown onscreen.
This is a really, really good film, and I recommend it both as a gay romance and a warm mainstream drama.Big Eden
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