A terrific film Big Eden is such an excellent film on so many levels. The Montana scenery is breathtaking, the storyline is compelling, all of the characters are likable and the directing, as well as the acting, is superb.
It is refreshing to watch a gay-themed movie devoid not only of labels and homophobia, but also without young, hard-bodied, model-pretty twink boys. Big Eden boasts normal looking men in a love triangle, all pushing forty. And we have a film with a happy ending for a gay couple- -no disillusionment, disease or death.
One of the most interesting observations about Big Eden is how much is NOT openly discussed. Of course, much is made of the fact that Henry (Arye Gross) never tells his grandfather (George Coe) about his sexuality, even though "Sampa" practically begs him to do so. But besides that, the viewer is (intentionally) left to fill in many of the blanks. We don't get to find out the background of Pike Dexter's (Eric Schweig) 20-year, silent, unrequited love for Henry, nor do we hear anyone else discuss it, even though it's clear from the start that Grace (Louise Fletcher) knows all about it and is a behind-the-scenes cheerleader for the two of them; we see and hear no discussion between the Widow Thayer (hilariously played by Nan Martin) and Pike, once she realizes Pike has been substituting her donated meals with his own; when Jim (O'Neal Compton) confronts Pike about his feelings for Henry, nothing is overtly revealed, but absolutely understood; we do not witness the conversation the Widow Thayer has with Henry, where she finally tells him that Pike is the gourmet chef; nor do we see the details of what bring Henry and Pike together at the end. And somehow, it all works brilliantly.
Roger Ebert was very critical of the final scene of the movie, the waltz where Henry and Pike share a prolonged, passionate kiss. Ebert felt it was overdone and that a simple "care to dance?" would have provided a better ending. I could not disagree more. The whole film dealt, purposely, with unrequited love and a lack of letting the audience in on storyline details. The kiss provided the perfect ending: the scene before the waltz takes place just before Christmas and we fast forward to an outside dance (presumably the Fourth of July). We see with our own eyes that Henry and Pike have indeed become the couple we've been rooting for throughout the entire film and, to our delight, their love is genuine.
All of the aforementioned actors portray their roles wonderfully, as do Tim Mc Kay as Dean (Henry's longtime crush) and Veanne Cox as Henry's agent. Eric Schweig is the real standout in the cast, bringing expressive pathos to the character of Pike, with a minimum of dialogue. Schweig's Best Actor award for this performance, from LA Outfest, was richly deserved.