BIG EDEN

Home is where Henry Hart is, and for a long time it's been New York City, where he paints as one of the up-and-coming artists in the metropolis. But when his beloved grandgather suffers a stroke, Henry, now openly gay, must journey back to where he grew up, the hamlet of Big Eden, Montana. While caring for the old man Henry reconnects with his childhood buddies and adolescent longings, especially the crush he held for high-school hunk Dean, who turns out to be still desirable and available. Big Eden is one of those small American towns with a general store/post office, where the pace of life is unhurried and everybody brings food to everybody else, and everyone knows their neighbor's business. And it doesn't take long for the friendly, nonjudgmental townsfolk (“To each his own, I must say,” announces the Widow Thayer) to figure out that their Henry has a secret admirer – a full-blooded Onondaga Indian and closet epicure named Pike. Sorting out the sweethearts by the time the big Thanksgiving dinner rolls around becomes a favorite pastime for the villagers in Thomas Bezucha's directorial debut, a homespun yet contemporary comedy-drama boasting a terrific ensemble cast of characters reminiscent of TV's “Northern Exposure.”