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Since I am from Great Falls (2nd largest town in Montana - about 34,000) and gay, many folks told me I'd love Big Eden. Overall, it's decently well acted, extremely well filmed and directed, but tends to be (mostly) unsurprising. However, there were a few emotional surprises (his best friends' thanksgiving confrontation that true love need not be sexually based) and, for me, more than a small element of truth.
While the other commentaries here are mostly accurate, I wanted to give a small view from an ex-Montanan who recently had to go back to care for and later bury his grandmother (hmm, seems like a plot line in there somewhere). The movie's portrayal of a gay accepting (but, as in the film, a nearly unspoken acceptance) Montana was pretty accurate.
When I came home to Montana, no one in my large extended family could not have known my "situation". However, while it wasn't addressed directly, it was clear that it wasn't a big deal. My family went out of their way to introduce me to other members of my "community", including a few cousins that i never had guessed. It seemed Montanans expend enough energy getting through day-to-day to forego taking precious time worrying about some label. Clearly there it was who you are, not what you are. And most importantly, could people depend on you.
So, while many people compare this movie to Northern Exposure (which I dearly loved), there is an element of truth beneath the fantasy. Kudos to a well done film
score 9/10
bfoss 2 September 2003
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0676097/ |
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12-3-2021 00:07:09