I don't remember exactly when I first saw the film, but I know it was between Christmas and New Year's, because my daughter gave me dinner and a movie for Christmas. Of course, I had read the story when it came out, several years before. I swore that I would not see the movie since casting Heath and Jake in it would have certainly ruined it. (I had seen Heath in Dogville and Jake in Bubble Boy.) But my daughter was very interested in seeing it, especially since there was an article in the New York Times about how the movie was changing people's perception of gayness and how it was a crossover, mainstream hit.
After a lovely dinner at a teahouse in Boulder, we went to the theater, which was totally packed and sold out. There were many couples and a mix of women and men. There was crying at the end, and my daughter took my arm to steady me because I was feeling, well, stunned.