I have lived in Utah for 12 years, and like another reviewer, I had seen part of this on a local TV station a couple of weeks ago, and thought what I saw was pretty funny, so I rented the DVD. The first half of the movie is hilarious! Nothing goes right for the main character after he returns from his mission to Wyoming (a big laugh right there...). My daughters and I laughed our heads off. Toward the end of the movie, the momentum was somewhat lost by the convoluted story. The movie tried to turn serious, and it came off as a bit preachy. It was a bit heavy handed toward "jack" Mormons and toward non-Mormons, as they are depicted as heavy drinkers and just all around bad people. It wasn't a bad movie, however, and we got some good laughs out of it. "Big Budah" the local radio personality did surprisingly well in his acting debut! The DVD has a lot of fun extras too. All in all, I recommend it for good family viewing and a few laughs.
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ArizWldcat27 February 2005
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BrentCoRe29 January 2003Just when I imagined LDS-driven comedy had reached a maximum, having no more cracks to make on the cinematic scene, I saw the world premiere of The RM in Sandy, Utah. I found myself bent over in laughter for a majority of the film, but ultimately left the theatre wishing there was more of a story-line and actors with more talent. In comparison to the 2002 film Singles Ward, corny jokes were found without much effort; however, I found a stronger comedial aspect in The RM. I would definately see it again, but not until it reaches the dollar theatre or comes out on video. I would describe this movie as a must-see for LDS people of all ages. I rated this a 7 out of 10.
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inkblot1124 October 2006Jared is a young Mormon man who has just finished his two year missionary stint. He believes he is coming back to a job and plans on proposing to his longtime girlfriend. Horrors! After buying the ring, he learns his girlfriend is two weeks away from marrying someone else and his job is down the drain, too. Not only that, but his parents have sold his car and adopted a young man who is now inhabiting Jared's old room! Whew. Well, there is the den and Jared snags a job as a repo man for a rental company, among other prospects. And, he valiantly tries to sell the ring to improve his cash flow. But, things look up when he meets Kelly. She is the daughter of an important church man and she is beautiful. Can she possibly be interested in Jared? Everyone will take a shine to this film whether they are Mormon or not. The actors are engaging and funny, the script is snappy and the production values are good. There are a few insider jokes about Mormons which may fly over the viewer's head but it does not matter in the long run. If you are searching for another romantic comedy with good principles, put your faith in this review and find this movie. The film delivers a dose of happiness for any member of the viewing audience.
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rptmaestro4 July 2004Being in the theatre and film industry myself, I've generally been critical of cheesy LDS comedies, but The RM was not cheesy. Almost all of the humor is based on exaggeration, some of it more exaggerated than others. The contrast between Relief Society and Elder's Quorum meetings, however, was almost right on the mark, right down to the doily on top of R.S. radio and the E.Q. instructor's plea to have someone read the first 6 pages of the lesson. Having grown up in the Idaho-Utah LDS culture myself, I found much of the humor about LDS culture delightful; though I expect that members of the church from other states may miss the humor that is aimed almost exclusively at the Idaho-Utah culture.
The RM fits into the farce genre, which does not require realism, depth of character, or a poignant moral, so if the viewer goes into the theatre expecting any of these, he or she is going to be disappointed.
My one criticism is that the film, perhaps in its attempt to portray the humorous elements of LDS society, comes across as cynical in many scenes, and the more critical LDS viewer may find this offensive. For example, contrary to the film's depiction, Elder's Quorums do have many elders who bring their manuals, who diligently prepare lessons, and who faithfully perform their home teaching--even in Idaho and Utah. It is doubtful this perceived cynicism is intended, and it is more likely that it is merely the byproduct of the film's attempt to maximize humor.
My wife and I found the film delightful. We found it far more entertaining than most of the comedies that prevail in movies theaters today--most of which are also farces, but that, despite their multi-million dollar casts, maximize humor with cheap sexual references, foul language, and cynical views of the America and the family and leave us feeling that we need to scrub our eyes and ears with a Brillo pad. Watch The RM. It's well worth your time. -
RockClimber10 February 2003I think a lot of people have seen "Single's Ward" by the same writing/production team and expected "The R.M." to be the sequel. I know that I went under that impression, so it came as quite a surprise when the same ol' cast from Single's Ward were playing very different parts. It was a good movie that very much reminded me of an LDS version of the "Meet the Parents" (Nothing seems to go right). While there were many funny scenes that most any returned missionary could relate to, the film seemed to try to take the R.M. stereotypes a little to the extreme. I felt the plot suffered a little just to get a laugh. All in all I enjoyed the movie and hope that the Hales continue to put out films. If you're LDS and you want a good laugh I don't think you can go wrong with this one.
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drgibson29 October 2003Not as "good" as Singles Ward, which although amateurish, was able to weave a plot and make knowing audiences laugh at the parody. But The R.M. is pathetic. There's virtually no plot. The jokes are stale. The characters are even more of a cliche than in Singles Ward. It's very unrealistic as the RM's family manages to adopt a brother, close a house sale and move without ever telling the RM. Right. Like other "Mormon" films, characters fall in love in two minutes through sappy montages (they did that in Charlie, too). The acting is atrocious, most particularly some sad sack who plays the prosecutor late in the film. One more thing: The film is way too long. They should have trimmed it to about 70 minutes. I give it two stars because there are only two jokes in the film.
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remingtonresearch14 February 2005I am not LDS, but I've lived in Utah 25 years and am a professional genealogist, so I understood and appreciated lot of the "in-jokes." I caught this movie on KJZZ , a local independent broadcast network, on a Sunday night and while I came in a bit late, I kept watching - even to the detriment of my regular Sunday night shows.
I can see where some people might be offended by the exaggerated portrayal of LDS culture, but from a non-Mormon point of view, it's refreshing to know that there are some LDS people who can poke fun at themselves and their culture.
If I were to pick my favorite scene, without "spoiling" it, I would say it was the restaurant scene and the names of some of the dishes.
I've been telling my LDS friends about the movie all day and they've all laughed at the scenes I've described and those who've seen it have had nothing bad to say about it.
If it is available as a rental, I wouldn't mind seeing it again. -
rayzor0910 July 2004If you're not a mormon, you probably don't tolerate much other religions. Personally, I'm not a Mormon. But, I like to look into other religions. First, let me say I am fascinated by the LDS. I love to read the BoM.
Now for the review. ;)
First and Foremost, this movie is so much better then The Singles Ward. Better acting, better idea, and lots funnier. Some scenes made me nearly pee my pants.
While the acting is better, that still isn't saying much. It's decent, but not perfect. And the direction and photography is good.
*** out of ***** -
kipluck13 December 2003This movie is silly, ridiculous... and a bit more true than we would like to think! I just got back from serving a mission in Texas and found the movie HILARIOUS. Of course it is stupid, so was Single's Ward... but I laughed out loud the whole time. My family DID move while I was gone (of course, they TOLD me), my parents were confused until right at the end as to when I was coming home (My mother was CONVINCED I should be home in March when I came home the end of April!) and I feel like adjusting to the "real world" has been among the hardest things I have ever done! I guess I like it so much because I relate to it. I think that this one is actually MUCH funnier than Single's Ward, though I liked Single's Ward soundtrack more. Over all, The R.M. was just stupid... and I loved every minuet of it.
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This film definitely is better than "The Single Ward", but that's not saying much considering. Don't get me wrong, the actors in this film certainly did a phenomenal job acting given that an actor is only as good as his script and director. Halfway through I decided that this film wasn't horrible because it didn't cause any pain, but that was before the courtroom scene. Yes, all the actors seem to portray the same character that they did in "Singles Ward." That's fine since this is only the filmmakers second film. At the current rate of improvement, these filmmakers will have a film that will be sure to have everyone laughing before the second coming. All-in-all, this film is a must-see for any fan of LDS film, but it certainly wouldn't have as wide appeal as "Brigham City" did.
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Being LDS, I really enjoyed The Singles Ward, and when I heard about this movie, I had high expectations, since both Will Swenson and Kirby Heyborne were in this movie.
However, I was disappointed at the fact that Will plays a not-so-good-guy. He's a nice character, but he does a few things that I find just plain silly.
It's been 2 years since I've actually seen it. But I have seen it, and I classify it in the weird column.
The Story is lame, the acting is lame, and the result is lame.
Avoid this movie. I'm being kind by giving it a 5.
My Score: 5/10. -
Quick-Icer2 January 2005loved it!!!! I thought it was good clean fun. I wish there were more movies this clean and entertaining. I will admit it was mostly inside "LDS" humor. Possibly not as funny if you don't understand LDS life and/or unable to laugh about it. I have some friends from church that didn't think it was funny, but they don't have much of a sense of humor any way. The whole movie cracked me up. I especially loved the little scene w/ the Lawyer, and the comparisons of the mens and womens church class. I thought it was funny when The Mom is pregnant and the dad says "Don't look at me, I didn't know until the visiting teachers called," thats classic. My whole family enjoyed the movie, and so did some of my "non-member" friends.
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tayster12-512 February 2003Before you read this review, go to my name and read my review for "The Singles Ward". That will give you the idea about how I feel about these types of movies. I'm very skeptical going in, and come out pleasantly surprised.
I have to admit, I like 'The R.M.' more than I liked 'Singles Ward'. Maybe it's because I only went to a singles ward twice, and then decided that I'd rather chew glass than marry one of the obviously desperate ladies there. (I knew they were desperate because they actually wanted to date a dork like ME.)
I am, however, an R.M. (Chile Santiago South 1991-1993) and thought that most of the jokes were extremely funny. Yes, some were over the top, but as a whole, I loved it.
***MINOR SPOILERS*** My favorite part was the comparisons of Elder's quorum and Relief Society. I almost blew lemonade out of my nose I was laughing so hard.
***END SPOILERS***
I also thought that 'The R.M.' had less cheesy LDS-related jokes. Not saying that there weren't any, but fortunately they spared us any green Jello jokes this time around.
If you are a returned missionary, go see this movie. You will definitely see something that seems familiar.
Plus, it's fun to just see a movie that's a lot of fun. -
To start, I would like to say that I believe in supporting the movies made particularly for the LDS audience. Not that they have all been be that spectacular, but that we need to establish this genre so that future filmmakers will be encouraged to make them.
However, I cannot give The R.M. a good review and if these LDS movies continue to be made this poorly, the market will quickly end. This said, I do congratulate the Hale family for trying, which I hope they will continue to do, but in the future they need to come up with better material.
Being an RM myself, I greatly anticipated this movie. I hoped that I would be able to relate to Jared and find the similarities amusing and yet reminiscent of the spiritual good that I was able to do when I got home. However, I related much more to The Singles Ward.
Why this movie did not work: 1. The acting was marginal to poor. None of the performances were very believable and everyone seemed so stiff. I saw the boom in at least one scene and the cinematography was pretty cheesy.
2. The jokes were somewhat funny in some places, but overdone in too many others like beating a dead horse. It's one thing to have bump on your head, but all those disgusting boils? And in the wedding line the brother kept smelling the stinky jacket, after six times that's enough already!
3. The romance scenes were painfully awkward to watch, not from portraying a fresh RM's unacquaintance with dating, but poor acting and absolutely no chemistry between the two actors, who really aren't all that attractive.
4. There was a lot of plot but no story. What did Jared accomplish? Nothing! He got home, had some disappointments, was acquitted of a crime he came no where close of committing and gave a talk, big deal. He could have at least inspired his friend to clean up his life and go on a mission, or turned his quorum around with the spirituality he learned while serving, but no, he got home and was no better than if he had never gone at all.
5. The movie was doctrinally and legally incorrect. Elders home teach elders, not high priests, and driving a car when someone gave you the keys is not grand theft auto etc. etc.
6. Worst of all-the dang advertisements! I understand that making a movie is expensive. But it can be done without spending money if you have a good story. Take My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the only ad was for Windex, and they made hundreds of millions of dollars on the story alone. You went way overboard on this one, and then to make it as though it's a big joke by going on and on about Utahsingles.com? Not funny, just annoying.
Future LDS movies need to be written more intelligently. It's ok to poke a little fun at all of our idiosyncrasies, but there needs to be a good story underlying it all that's uplifting. Not just `I guess I have gotten a few blessings'.
*Every intention should be to uplift, entertain, and teach. If you are just out to capitalize off the saints, as most of your sponsors are, you will fail.* -
I was very surprised, but I loved this movie. I thought it was hilarious. Yes, I am Mormon and yes, I am from Utah, so all the jokes were sorta nudge-nudge towards the LDS audience, but I thought it was clever and fun.
I think The R.M. takes the formula from The Singles Ward (the director's first comedy) and improves on it. I think the story stays more consistent than Singles Ward. Unlike Singles Ward, The R.M. doesn't start off as a good goofy laugh at Utah Mormon culture and then halfway through try to switch gears completely and turn itself into a cheesy seminary (LDS teen religion class) film. It just stays wacky (thats right, I used the word "wacky") straight through and doesn't try to apologize for itself.
Also, a guy eats a stick of butter between two slices of white bread. How cool is that? -
MrBallroom9 March 2004UPDATED REVIEW: Kurt Hale, WHAT HAPPENED, BUDDY?? You follow up The Singles Ward with this?!? The Singles Ward had me laughing myself silly almost as much as Airplane did back in 1980, yet this piece of crap had me putting to the test the words "hope to be able endure all things." I was able to endure this sorry piece of cinematic garbage to the end only because I wasn't going to give you the satisfaction of walking away...
THE ONLY REASON THIS FILM HAS ONE STAR LISTED IS BECAUSE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO GIVE IT EITHER ZERO STARS OR A NEGATIVE FIGURE, SO CONSIDER THAT CAREFULLY WHEN READING THIS REVIEW...
This piece of garbage is by far the worst film I have ever seen in showing an inaccurate depiction of the life of a returned missionary! Kurt Hale did a GREAT job with The Singles Ward, but with this turkey, the flaws were so numerous and script holes so large, you could have parked, or even driven a Boeing 747 through.
Unlike Hale's first film The Singles Ward where the laughs were fast and furious because they came easily and naturally, with The R.M., the laughs had to be forcibly pried with a crowbar. It demonstrated what had to be undoubtedly the most pathetic family in the history of the Church! The fact Hale recycled some of the same actors from The Singles Ward didn't help his cause much either. If my first impression of the Church had come from seeing The R.M., I wouldn't want a second impression. This film had a total lack of respect that crossed the border and went straight to blasphemous! Not to mention the two-minute on-air plug for Utah Weddings.com! YUCK! BARF-O-RAMA!! Get my drift?!? At least we know who helped bankroll the film, don't we???
First of all, Jared's parents were so busy increasing their family that they sent him on his mission and promptly forgot about him! They move to another house and don't tell him, get pregnant with yet another child and don't tell him at all, which tells me neither they, nor anyone in his ward (INCLUDING HIS BISHOP) were writing him. They adopt a foreign exchange student Jared wasn't aware of, which again supports the idea he probably didn't hear from them his entire mission.
Jared comes home to find out Mom and Dad moved, nobody was at the airport to pick him up, and when he DOES find the right house, he finds his girlfriend has dumped him, his parents sold his car, and then to add salt in the wound, everyone from his parents to the now ex-girlfriend to his BISHOP thinks he got sent home dishonorably, which indicated they were totally clueless as to his release date, which simply does not happen. There were ways to be humorous about this, and if Kurt Hale were looking for ways to be UNFUNNY about this, then he batted 1.000 in this film.
Meanwhile, Dysfunctional Mom and Dad are off drawing circles on the board - can you say multi-level-marketing scam? - with fellow ward members in what only goes to further cement Utah's reputation as the nation's test-market for scams. A classic case of the 'greed gland' being stuck, Jared's parents - like so many others - equate wealth with spirituality and/or righteousness, which is CLEARLY not always the case.
The most bothersome scene was the one where Jared gets arrested and nobody around him - including his own family or local church leaders - believes in his innocence, except his new girlfriend, who happens to be out of town with her father on church business. The fact that Jared's stake president released him before hearing any evidence shows him as one more interested in appearance than giving a good man the benefit of the doubt - again, a pathetic attempt to be funny that only shows a church leader in a negative light, when most leaders in that situation would have had one like Jared keep a low profile and just wait until the dust settled. All this does is further add to the complete implausibility of this totally useless film.
Perhaps the ONLY amusing scene in this insipid flick was the doofus prosecutor that looked like a he/she - kind of a cross between Boy George and Michael Jackson - who was made fun of by the little kids at the end of the film. Had I been in the courtroom, I'd have made fun of him too.
On a scale of one to ten, I give this turkey a MINUS TEN -10/10. *** -
osund15 September 2003The R.M. has some inspired moments, and generally treats the idea of a returned missionary with humor. All of the things that go wrong are generally predictable, but expressed in a humorous way.
There are problems with the film, however. The biggest is the film's racial insensitivity. Early in the movie, Jared Phelps finds that a Chinese-American family has moved into his old home. With vaguely Asian music in the background, Mr. Wong kicks Phelps in the face. Why does the Asian-American character have to be an expert in martial arts? Why is there Asian music in the background? This might not have been an issue had there been any other Asian-American characters, but there were not.
Similarly, the Tongan exchange student in the film is named Humuhumunukunukuapua. This is the name of the Hawaiian state fish. Would a French foreign exchange student have been named Bratwurst?
Another problem with the film is the blatant ad for utahweddings.com. While presented in a slightly humorous way, it's still clear that it's an ad, and takes up at least 2 minutes of screen time. -
jakebunker14 February 2024Don't exactly have too much to say. It's kind of a nothing-burger. It does have some sort of relatability because when you're away doing anything for even a few months and you come back things have drastically changed. So I guess that was kinda funny but that's the only thing I liked about it. I don't get how people like it, it was extremely boring for me and I wanted it to be over. I probably should've just walked away instead of finishing it. Besides like 2 jokes there's no redeeming qualities about the movie. I do not recommend this movie to anyone at all. Outsiders of the faith especially are not going to enjoy this film. Please watch something else, anything else.
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dafalias27 December 2005A review here compares this movie to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". Being a Greek Mormon myself, I concur to a certain degree. The performances were good, Kirby Heyborne's facial expressions and reactions really carry the movie, Will Swenson more or less reprises his role from Single's Ward and Britani Bateman perfectly balances Mormon moral principles, in every sense, and being plain hot. The first half of the movie more than anything I felt sorry for the poor guy, although there were some good laughs, too. Most of the humor though is based on Mormon stereotypes - if You are not acquainted with that, I am afraid You will not get much out of this flick. I think that there is a message for Mormons, that righteousness always pays off, even it does not look like this at all, in the end you will ride with the hot general authorities daughter towards sunset; the message for non-Mormons IMHO is, "Mormons are an odd people, but they can laugh at themselves"
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TPalum4 December 2004My sister left the DVD for The RM after Thanksgiving this year with her recommendation. We'd never heard of the movie before this Nov [2004] but were willing to give it a try.
Looking over the DVD cover gave me a fair sense that the movie would likely be wholesome enough for our entire family, which is always a plus here. [Really that stuff does matter to a lot of people.] That was refreshing all by itself.
Both of us, our six children, and two of our friends [in their 50s] just finished watching The RM this evening, for the second time. We're all still grinning and humming the music. None of us are LDS or ever have been, but we got most of the jokes. From our perspective The RM seemed to offer plenty of gentle tweeks without becoming offensive or disdainful. For any LDS wondering, we did not think it portrayed LDSs in poor light at all - rather it appears that there are some with an excellent sense of humor in your midst.
I don't know how many films already exist in this genre, but we're very impressed with our first exposure to HaleStorm Entertainment. We found the acting and comedic timing quite good. The storyline was refreshing, the wit was sharp, and the music was great! [We've already looked up Sweethaven and played the bonus video several times.] Considering the subject matter [and the movie never having crossed our radar previously] we were expecting a low-budget, home-movie type deal and found ourselves surprised and impressed with the production quality. And while the moral may be simple, the importance of choosing to do the right thing is a universal principal that plenty of non-Mormons can appreciate too.
I doubt we would have ever run across this movie accidentally on our own, but we consider it a gem. Accordingly, we're going to see if our local [artsy] theater will consider bringing The RM to their big screen so it can be enjoyed by others as well. Our collective opinion is that this movie deserves a broader audience. -
Nixiy3 February 2003I adored "The Singles Ward". What I had issues with was the horrible "Out of Step" by the same guy. So when I heard about this movie, I was tempted. But I didn't want another "Out of Step."
I was wrong. My ticket money was certainly worth this.
Elder Jared Phelps just got off a successful mission. He's just devoted two years to serving God. He should be blessed for that. Right? Instead, Murphy's Law runs amok.
For the most part, this is a delightful little gem. The story is somewhat complex and very interesting. There's some fun cameos. And, of course, poking-fun-at-Mormon/Utah-culture chaos. Yes, the truth hurts, but it's so dern funny!
And, of course, there's a great message that Hale was able to stick in there without getting preachy.
Though I loved the movie, I do have some complaints. Maybe I'm just biased, but "The Singles Ward" just seemed so casual and okay. This seems a little forced at a few parts. It was as if they were trying to make it charming on purpose. That usually doesn't work. Though I'm quite happy for Will Swenson's character at the end, I don't like the way it leaves his story hanging.
And why didn't Maren Ord do a song?!
Well, those are just a few minor flaws in a great, fun movie. -
spongebob12 February 2003I found this movie to be very funny, although to understand most of the humor you either have to be a member of the LDS church, or understand the mormon culture. Although there are plenty of jokes, and humor that anyone can understand. Especially about the difficulties of finding a spouse. It also has a cast of some great actors such as Kirby Heybourne, Will Swenson, and Britani Bateman. If you loved the movie "The Singles Ward", or just want to a good, clean comedy to see, I highly recommend "The R.M."
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SW_and_TPB_fan29 August 2003I liked this movie, with all the inside jokes, but Single's Ward rolled smoother. All in all I liked this movie though. My family still brings up parts and can't wait for it to come on video. We have almost worn out our Single's Ward tape and will most likely do the same to the RM.
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regy19904 April 2006This is a hilarious movie. Kirby Heyborne (the actor who plays the main character) is so fun. You just have to watch it to understand the funniness. This is a movie you can watch with little kids or adults, and even though it's a comedy, you don't have to worry about dirty jokes. It's clean and even if you don't know much about 'mormons' you will still like it. And apparently I am supposed to have a certain number of lines for them to post this, so I am just going to keep typing until I have enough to qualify. as good as this movie is, I can't say much more than it will make you laugh. A lot. So kids, don't do drugs and about where babies come from. You see, when a man and a women really love each other... I have enough lines now, so watch the movie and be happy!
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katgood1 April 2005Part of this movie's charm is the fact that it goes over the top making fun of stereotypical Mormon culture.
Besides the fact that it is a clean movie, (which all clean movies should be supported if we want Hollywood to make movies other than rated R), it is funny, and sweet.
It also portrays how things can change in the span of 2 years, and while a bit dramatic at times, illustrates some of the problems returned missionaries go through when they come home.
Kirby's friend does turn back around at the very end, which shows that no matter how bad people can get, there is always hope.
I think Kirby does a great job in this movie, as with all movies he is in. I think the funniest line in the movie is when he says "Kirby?! What kind of name is that? It sounds like a vacuum cleaner!!!" If you want some good clean fun, see this movie. Sure, it's low budget, with low budget effects. But that is all part of it's charm!