Queerly Ever After #49: BIG EDEN (2000)

Queerly Ever After is a bi-monthly column where I take a look at LGBT+ films that gave their characters a romantic happily-ever-after. There will be spoilers. Also, don’t forget to buy your Queerly Ever After merch right here.

After his grandfather, Sam (George Coe), suffers a stroke, New York City artist Henry Hart (Arye Gross) returns to his hometown of Big Eden, Montana to look after him. Henry has not been back to Big Eden since he left after graduating high school, but he is immediately welcomed back by all the locals, but especially Grace Cornwell (Louise Fletcher). Grace is a teacher at the local elementary school and informs Henry that Dean Stewart (Tim DeKay), his childhood best friend/unrequited crush, has just moved back to town with his two young sons following his divorce. Grace also introduces him to the men who work at Dexter’s General Store, as well as Pike Dexter (Eric Schweig), the painfully shy, Native American man who owns the store, and who was also a high school classmate of Henry’s.

As Henry spends time in Big Eden, he and Dean resume their close friendship, though Henry still harbors romantic feelings for Dean, and it is often implied that Dean shares those feelings. But Dean is not Henry’s only love interest, Pike has also been harboring a crush on the artist. After Grace enlists Widow Thayer (Nan Martin) to help provide meals for Sam because Henry doesn’t cook, Pike secretly steps in to replace Widow Thayer’s unhealthy meals with gourmet dishes that Sam can eat. Eventually, Widow Thayer catches on and asks Pike to help teach her to cook better foods.

Two Separate Films

While I had pretty high hopes for this film, I ended up feeling like the movie was a bit all over the place. It feels like there are two separate movies going on here, and because of that, nothing ever gets fleshed out enough. In one movie you have Henry reconnecting with Dean and exploring what their feelings are for each other. Ultimately it turns out that Dean is not gay or bisexual, but out of his love for Henry and knowing Henry’s feelings for him wants so bad to be able to feel the same way romantically about him. Although, it takes forever for us to figure out that’s what’s going on with Dean.

The second movie is Pike’s secretly cooking meals for Henry and Sam and his romantic feelings for Henry. Unfortunately, Pike is so painfully, awkwardly shy, to the point he runs away in social situations, a character trait that is never explained, that we never really get to know Pike. Yes, Henry eventually falls in love with him, but why? They have all of one conversation in the movie. In fact, we never learn anything about Pike as a person outside of what he does.

On the same note, I never really understand why everyone is always falling in love with Henry. There’s nothing that really struck me as interesting about him throughout the two-hour-long film. He’s awkward, still uncomfortable in his own sexuality, from the one piece of artwork of his we do see, it’s nothing special. Overall, he’s just kind of bland, so what is it about him that seems to act as a magnet for both Dean and Pike? The movie never delves into Dean and Henry’s backstory, so I was never able to figure this out.

The Most Gay-Friendly Town in Montana

One aspect of the movie that I did enjoy, and where I was more than happy to suspend my disbelief, was that this small town in Montana was somehow the most LGBT-accepting town I’ve ever seen on screen. The movie exists in its own fantasy world, and I am more than okay with that. Just about everyone in town knows Henry is gay and is more than accepting.

When he first arrives in town, Widow Thayer, who doesn’t know his sexuality, tries to set him up with the town’s eligible ladies. When she finds out he’s gay, she tries to set him up with all the eligible gay men she knows, which is a lot. The men who work for Pike immediately figure out he has a crush on Henry, and their only worry is that they think Henry is already taken and don’t want to see Pike get hurt. But, they decide to do what they can to help Pike woo Henry.

In Conclusion: Big Eden

This romantic dramedy has simultaneously too much and too little going on. By trying to cram in so many plot points and characters, none of the characters ever get fully fleshed out. We never understand who they are or their motivations. It is additionally confusing why everyone seems so drawn to the lead, who didn’t really draw me in as the viewer. There could have been a really cute movie in here, but it gets hampered down by its own clunkiness.

Big Eden came out in the USA on June 1, 2001. For all other release dates, see here.

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