Review of Big Eden (2000) by Helena K — 25 May 2010

Cute but clichéd. Arye Gross plays Henry Hart, a man who, after years of living in the city, returns home to the small town where he grew up to tend to his ailing father. Henry hasn't officially announced, however, that he digs dudes, for fear that the townsfolk will judge him harshly, but essentially everyone already knows he's gay and is totally okay with it (see, here the film seems to think it defies convention, when really convention is that you assume small-town people are close-minded, when really they're down with whatever, so the film just does what every other vaguely comparable film has already done).

There's some sexual tension (ish) between he and childhood friend Dean (played by Tim DeKay), who has long since been married to a woman with whom he has fathered two children. (So, yeah, that ain't going to happen, Henry.

Besides, the two of you don't have chemistry, in my opinion. When the two of you get close to kissing, it gives me a case of the squicks because you are just so unbelievable as a couple.) Eric Schweig, on the other hand, plays Pike Dexter, a completely sweet and adorable townsman who develops a crush on Henry, but is too shy to say anything about it.

Schweig is by far the best thing about this picture (I want to put him in my pocket and take him with me everywhere!). It's worth a watch if you've got nothing else to make you feel all warm in your cold, hard heart.