God's Army (2000)

Director:

Richard Dutcher

Writer:

Richard Dutcher (writer)

Release Date:

10 March 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Saving the world one soul at a time

Plot:

Life as a Mormon missionary isn't what 19-year-old Brandon Allen expected: so many rules and so few successes...

Plot Keywords:

Missionary | Mormon | Latter Day Saints | Los Angeles California | Baptism

Cast

Matthew A. Brown	...	Elder Allen
Richard Dutcher	...	Elder Dalton
Jacque Gray	...	Sister Fronk
Jeffrey Scott Kelly	...	Elder Mangum
Desean Terry	...	Elder Banks
Michael Buster	...	Elder Kinegar
Luis Robledo	...	Elder Sandoval
John Pentecost	...	President Beecroft
Lynne Carr	...	Sister Beecroft
Kelli Coleman	...	Sister Monson
Anthony Anselmi	...	Elder Harmer
Peter Jackson	...	Elder Downey
Seamus Hurley	...	Elder Rex
Francine Riber	...	Connie
Fawn Perez	...	Laura

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and some language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

New Zealand:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Main Street Movie Company

Trivia:

The Elder Allen character background is loosely based on Richard Dutcher's own life.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The black name tags lacked the "The" in "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Quotes:

Allen: Should we take the bus?
Dalton: I don't want to take the bus.
Allen: You're not tired?
Dalton: I'm exhausted, but if I sit down I'll fall asleep. If I fall asleep I'll probably lapse into a coma. If I lapse into a coma, I'll probably die, so I don't want to take the bus.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in The R.M. (2003)

Soundtrack:

Go to Hell

All in all a decent film

Let me first say that I am not a member of the LDS church. In fact I am agnostic. I recommend that if you are Mormon, you skip over this review.

I enjoyed watching this film. The way you enjoy listening to a lecture about an ancient civilization. The story is very simply about Mormon missionaries, with subplots that have varying degrees of creditability. This film is not a sanitized, sugar coated view of missionary life (aside from an obvious lack of profanity from those who slam the door in the face of missionaries). In fact, the opening scene of the movie consists of a drive through LA. Along the way you see tattoo parlors, strip clubs, and cops in the process of arresting a criminal. This film even contains a pair of prostitutes (don't get to excited, there is nothing going on).

The films main character is Elder Brandon Allen, a 19-year-old kid from Kansas. Allen is confused about the purpose of his mission and is struggling with the collapse of his family (his mom is leaving the church and his step-dad who brought him into the church is in prison for molesting children). Brandon's companion is Elder Dalton (played very well by director Richard Dutcher), a 29-year-old missionary who is dying of brain cancer. The relationship that develops between Allen and Dalton is predictable, but at the same time has the feel of realism.

There are a few scenes where we see the two missionaries attempting to share their religion with other, usually with the cliché reaction.

One thing that pleased me about this movie was the definite lack of religious ideas. Sure the missionaries pray and talk about God, but we are never given any real insight in to the fundamental ideals of Mormonism. In fact the film seem so devoid of these ideals that you get the impression that Dutcher was intentionally leaving them out. Perhaps because the majority of the audience will already know them and because the "others" don't need to hear them presented by this medium.

At times, God's Army starts to feel like an anti-Mormon movie. There is even a missionary who is reading books that question the validity of the ideas in the Book of Mormon.

The down points of this film include a under developed relationship between Allen and a female missionary. This relationship almost feels obligatory.

I was very drawn into the movie right up until the final 20 minutes. Dutcher ends the film in a way that is clearly intended to satisfy the Mormons.

If you like independent film and have an open mind, I would recommend seeing God's Army. If you like to go to a movie strictly for entertainment and don't like to think about what you're watching, you might want to skip this one.