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Movies / On DVD / Big Eden
Big Eden

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Big Eden (2001)

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Reviews Counted:51

Fresh:33

Rotten:18

Average Rating:6/10

Consensus: Though unrealistic, Big Eden has all the charm and sweetness of a fairy tale.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for some mature thematic material

Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Jun 1, 2001 Limited

Synopsis: Big Eden is a tiny town tucked away in the timberland of northwestern Montana, where cowboys lounge on the porch of the general store to pass the time away, and keep their eyes on... Big Eden is a tiny town tucked away in the timberland of northwestern Montana, where cowboys lounge on the porch of the general store to pass the time away, and keep their eyes on things.

Although it's been years since he was back, Henry Hart, a successful but lonely New York artist, returns to Big Eden, the town of his childhood, to care for the ailing grandfather who raised him. Once home, Henry finds he must come to terms with his relationship to Dean Stewart, his best friend from high school, and the object of his unrequited love. Henry's feelings for Dean, which caused him to flee Big Eden nearly twenty years ago, seem to have only grown stronger over the intervening years.

At the same time, Henry's reappearance sparks a transformation in Pike Dexter, the shy, unassuming, Native American owner of the town's general store. Pike is as surprised as anyone, and completely unprepared, when he finds himself falling in love with Henry.

As this unspoken triangle unfolds under the scrutiny of Big Eden's community, nearly everyone in town develops a stake in its outcome.

When tragedy strikes and Henry chooses to leave once again, and Pike is unable to articulate feelings which might alter Henry's course, it is ultimately the people of Big Eden that must join together in an effort to help two of their own find true happiness.

BIG EDEN is a uniquely American fable about home and family. It hits upon the universal longing and hope we each have for finding a place where we are loved, and the unconditional desire to see those that we love find happiness. -- © 2001 Jour de Fete Films [More]

Starring: Arye Gross, Tim DeKay, Louise Fletcher, Eric Schweig

Starring: Arye Gross, Tim DeKay, Louise Fletcher, Eric Schweig, Corinne Bohrer, George Coe, Veanne Cox, Nan Martin

Director: Thomas Bezucha

Director: Thomas Bezucha
Screenwriter: Thomas Bezucha
Producer: Jennifer Chaiken
Composer: Joseph Conlan
Studio: Jour De Fete Films

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Apr 30, 2002

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Returning to his childhood home in Montana when his grandfather falls ill, artist Henry Hart (Arye Gross, Ellen, Six Feet Under) confronts his unrequited passion for his high school best friend and his feelings about being gay in a small town. Cast includes Tim DeKay, Louise Fletcher and Eric Schweig. 117 min. The 2-disc DVD set includes over 60 minutes of bonus features.
  • Source: Wolfe Video
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Big Eden

    • T-Meter Critics
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    21 - 40 (sorted by date)
    Text View | |< << 1 2 3 >> >|
    Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
     
     

    Gross doesn't have the spark of a star, and most everyone else seems to hail straight from central casting.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    10/18/01
    Steven Rea
    Steven Rea
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
    10/12/01
    Adam Nayman
    Adam Nayman
    eye WEEKLY

    Nothing more than a small-town gay love triangle with no antagonist and very little conflict.

    Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
    10/03/01
    Jon Popick
    Jon Popick
    Planet Sick-Boy

    …a funny coming-of-age romantic romp set in the Montana timberwoods, a thousand miles from nowhere…. A sure fire audience pleaser.

    Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
    09/30/01
    Elias Savada
    Elias Savada
    Nitrate Online

    It is annoyingly preposterous, corny where it could be comedic, sappy where it could be uplifting.

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    09/28/01
    Susan Walker
    Susan Walker
    Toronto Star

    This may be a date movie with enough quiet charm to appeal to anybody, straight, gay or, like Dean, undecided.

    Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
    09/28/01
    Claire Bickley
    Claire Bickley
    Jam! Movies

    A story about characters who are so extremely closeted that their deepest feelings often remain a secret even to the audience.

    Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
    08/31/01
    Jay Boyar
    Jay Boyar
    Orlando Sentinel

    Big Eden has a simple enough plot, but first-time writer-director Thomas Bezucha has endowed it with the twinkly winsomeness of a fairy tale.

    Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
    07/23/01
    David Noh
    David Noh
    Film Journal International

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: www.susangranger.com | comment Comment
    07/16/01
    Susan Granger
    Susan Granger
    www.susangranger.com

    A heart-affecting gay romantic drama that unabashedly celebrates community as the ideal milieu for bringing out the best in people.

    Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
    07/13/01
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Spirituality and Practice

    Warm and fuzzy.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    07/13/01
    Stephen Miller
    Stephen Miller
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    Bezucha demonstrates a strange genius for dragging out the inevitable.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    07/13/01
    Dave Kehr
    Dave Kehr
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Genuinely funny and moving, without a single cloying moment.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    07/13/01
    Jonathan Foreman
    Jonathan Foreman
    New York Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    This fairy tale wraps up the audience without missing the drama of small town politics.

    Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
    07/13/01
    Michele McCole Moss
    Michele McCole Moss
    Citysearch

    In its gentle, heartwarming, decidedly unrealistic way, it's a refreshing alternative to hipper-than-thou moviemaking.

    comment Comment
    07/13/01
    Scott Heller
    Scott Heller
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    There's something vaguely irresponsible about the movie's naïveté.

    Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
    07/10/01
    Mark Holcomb
    Mark Holcomb
    Village Voice

    In his first time out as a writer-director, Mr. Bezucha, formerly in charge of creative design for Polo/Ralph Lauren and Coach, drags his feet, pops corn and sometimes stumbles.

    Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
    06/21/01
    Jane Sumner
    Jane Sumner
    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    However well-intentioned it might be, the script is pretty much a collection of cliches.

    Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
    06/18/01
    Frank Swietek
    Frank Swietek
    One Guy's Opinion

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    06/18/01
    Greg Muskewitz
    Greg Muskewitz
    eFilmCritic.com

    Yet, for all the film's slow spots, it's impossible not to be moved by Henry and Pike's blossoming romance, thanks especially to Gross and Schweig's charming lead performances.

    Full Review Source: Mr. Showbiz | comment Comment
    06/14/01
    Kevin Maynard
    Kevin Maynard
    Mr. Showbiz
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
    21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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