susan granger 's review of " big eden " ( jour de fete )
it 's utopia , this tiny town tucked away in the timberland of northwestern montana , where old codgers lounge on the porch of the general store to pass the time away and the local matchmakers ( nan martin , louise fletcher ) eagerly pair off the young people , regardless of sexual preference .
there 's nary a homophobe or bigot around , much to the surprise of henry hart ( arye gross ) , a successful but lonely manhattan artist who returns home to care for sam ( george coe ) , the ailing grandfather who raised him .
and with the simultaneous re - appearance of his best - friend from high - school and object of his unrequited love ( tim dekay ) , now divorced with two young sons , the fact of his homosexuality must be faced .
to complete the triangle , there 's
the tall , taciturn native american ( eric schweig ) who owns the general store and lovingly yet secretly prepares gourmet meals for henry and sam .
this fable about home and family is a major debut for first - time film - maker thomas bezucha ( a former designer for coach and polo / ralph lauren ) who is meticulous about minding details , using ballads like " welcome to my world " and " achin ' , breakin ' heart " to set up the concept of our universal longing to find a place in which we can love and be loved .
in the paradise of big eden , what you are does n't matter as much as generosity of spirit , respect and kindness .
sure , the plot 's implausible but it 's a good - natured fantasy
so allowances should be made .
and rob sweeney 's photography of glacier national park is spectacular !
on the granger movie gauge of 1 to 10 , " big eden " is a charming , quirky , off - beat
7 .
it 's a heart - warming romantic comedy about a gay man who does n't die of aids or wind up alone at the end .
is spectacular ! a heart - warming romantic comedy it 's a good - natured fantasy a major debut meticulous about minding details a charming , quirky , off - beat