Latter Days
TLA Releasing | Release Date: January 30, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
9
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
The New York TimesDave Kehr
Works in the end because of its commitment to its characters and a handful of fine performances. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
At once romantic, earthy and socially critical, Latter Days is a dynamic film filled with humor and pathos. Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Although the rest of the story plays out with melodramatic predictability, it's timely, not to mention refreshing, to see an affirmation of true love over hot sex, along with a reminder that the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
In equal parts earnest and awkward, this romance between a Mormon missionary and an L.A. party boy falls significantly short of its lofty goals. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
One of the sly pleasures of Latter Days is the sight of this gay-themed movie recycling so many conventions from straight romantic cinema, as if it's time to catch up. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Such a well-meaning but unambitious work that it's tempting to take it seriously even as you dismiss it. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
A modest and obviously heartfelt endeavor. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Cox, a fifth-generation Mormon whose own story isn't too far from that of Elder Davis, shows how much of Aaron's strength derives directly from his faith, while even the most homophobic of Cox's characters demonstrate a capacity for both charity and, possibly, change. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
Though the film covers familiar queer-cinema ground, Latter Days' finely observed truths about the painful costs of being yourself make even the contrivance of its happy ending forgivable. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
A glossy gay soap opera that graphically illustrates new meanings for the term "missionary position." Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
This directorial debut from C. Jay Cox is a sometimes comic melodrama. Read full review
50
VarietyScott Foundas
Falls back on the broad characterizations and stereotypical situations that typified the earliest gay-themed movies, while preaching a familiar (though not entirely ingenuous) message of tolerance. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
An odd mix itself, of contemporary sexual realism and unabashed romantic fantasy. If "Days" works, it's mostly on a sheer fantasy level. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
This sitcom setup is as bad as it sounds, and Cox never really surmounts it, though the characters deepen significantly after the missionary is caught caressing the waiter and sent home to be excommunicated and shamed by his family. Read full review
50
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The screenplay is schizoid. The first half is figuratively brassy, but then the violins begin to soar. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
The end of the film edges toward camp, and the sudden arrival of surreal dream sequences threatens to push it over the side. The movie is more sophisticated when it’s not trying to be complex. Read full review
38
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
What's wrong with Latter Days is that its banter is pedestrian and its lessons forced. Read full review
30
Village VoiceEd Halter
Cox's tacky melodrama is indeed sub-par, but no worse than numerous gay indies. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
The performances are shaky, rendering Latter Days as a movie that you've seen before, and done better, too. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
This tale of tortured love between a Mormon missionary and a West Hollywood tomcat renders its gay and religious characters so stereotypical that neither lifestyle appears attractive. Read full review
20
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Stranding an able supporting cast in mostly disposable roles--including Jacqueline Bisset, Mary Kay Place, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Amber Benson--Cox writes himself into several corners, then plots honking contrivances to get out of them. Read full review
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