Latter Days

What do you get when red and blue mix?

Latter Days is a 2003 romantic comedy starring Wes Ramsey and Steve Sandvoss. Aaron Davis (Steve Sandvoss) is a Mormon missionary who has just moved to Los Angeles with three other missionaries (one of them played by Joseph Gordon Levitt) in a small apartment. They aren't allowed any television, radio or anything that might lead them to temptation for the two years that they are working as missionaries. The problem is, their next door neighbor, is openly gay Christian Markelli (Wes Ramsey) and his roommate, Julie Taylor (Rebekah Johnson).

Christian gets into a bet that he can seduce one of the missionaries. Little does he know that Aaron is a closeted homosexual. They fall in love but deal with a lot of problems along the way.

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Tropes used in Latter Days include:

• All Gays Are Promiscuous: Christian got around quite a bit before meeting Aaron. Part of his dilemma was the notion of settling down.
  • To be fair every other gay character besides Christian wasn't and never becomes promiscuous. Christian just happens to be promiscuous and happens to be gay.
• Backstory: It wasn't included in the final cut, but supposedly Paul had to give up a Love Interest he met during a mission, and that would explain his Heel Face Turn.
• Bungled Suicide: Aaron when he's outed and forced back to Utah. We spend a good chunk of the movie thinking he actually did it.
• Cure Your Gays: Aaron is shown to be at an "Ex-Gay" treatment facility after his suicide attempt.
• Darkest Hour: We get this with Christian thinking that Aaron is dead through suicide.
• Deadpan Snarker: Paul has his moments.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Both for Christian and Aaron. All other characters have it easier.
• Fag Hag: Julie (doubles as Black Best Friend) and Lila.
• Flamboyant Gay: Christian.
• Gay Aesop
• Gayngst: Guess.
• Hey, It's That Guy!: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a Mormon missionary!
• Magical Queer: A man dying of AIDS whom Christian spends some time with.
• Mormonism
• Really Gets Around: Christian before Aaron came around.
• Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Hanging heavily on the Idealist end.
• Sidekick: Julie for Christian and Paul for Aaron.
• Invisible to Gaydar: Aaron
• Straight Man: Paul to Aaron.
• Team Mom: Lila.
• The Bet: When the Mormon missionaries move in next door to Christian, he makes a bet with his friends that he can seduce one of them. However, this bet ends up having very little effect on the plot of the movie.
  • It may have been a contributing factor in Aaron's suicide attempt.