Church Ball (2006)

Director:

Kurt Hale

Writers:

Paul Eagleston (writer)
Kurt Hale (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

Winning isn't everything..... Yeah Right

Plot:

Dennis Buckstead has the hardest calling in his church. Not only has he been asked to coach a group...

Plot Keywords:

Basketball | Mormon

Cast

Fred Willard	...	Bishop Linderman
Andrew Wilson	...	Dennis Buckstead
Clint Howard	...	Gene Jensen
Gary Coleman	...	Charles Higgins
Steve Anderson	...	Thurman
Amy Stewart	...	Susan Buckstead
Larry Bagby	...	Blake Bracken
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	...	Julius Higgins
Kala Alexander	...	Carlos
Sina Amedson	...	Nadar Nazbarechov
Eddie Anderson	...	Old Man 2
Thurl Bailey	...	Moses Mahoney
Edward Bernard	...	High Priest
Michael Birkeland	...	Officiator 2
Ross Brockley	...	Mickey Morgan
Big Budah	...	Coach / Player
David Callahan	...	Crystal Lakes Player
Brad Call	...	Guy In The Bakery
Jimmy Chunga	...	The Officiator
Dillan Conrad	...	Billy Buckstead
Jonny Craddock	...	Basketball Kicker
Dale Critchlow
Curt Dousett	...	Bruce Bracken
Mark Eaton	...	Himself
Travis Eberhard	...	Adam
Christine Elder	...	Woman #2
Stan Ellsworth	...	Jeramiah
Whitney Hales	...	Girl praying
Dave Hanson	...	Angry Man At Door
Hilary Hughes	...	Heather Buckstead
Hot Rod Hundley	...	Himself
Cort Johnson	...	Basketball Fan #2
Chad Long	...	Don Weaver
Shannon Price
Susan Rounkles	...	Reporter
Chandler Smith	...	Don Weaver's Oldest Son
Johnie Tolman	...	Padded Player
Daryn Tufts	...	Misfit Polynesian Basketball Player
Mister West	...	Basketball Fan #1
Joe Wilson	...	Mr. Snead
Mindy B. Young	...	?

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language and some rude humor.

Runtime:

USA:91 min (theatrical version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Utah County, Utah, USA

Company:

Halestorm Entertainment

Trivia:

The telephone number on the sign advertising Jeremiah's house for sale is 867-5309, which refers to the Tommy Tutone song "Jenny (867-5309)." This phone number also appears in the other Halestorm films "The Singles Ward" and "The R.M."

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the championship game, both the broadcasters' booth and the kids' playpen overlap onto the court by several inches.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Boy, what a letdown...

I've never been a huge fan of Mormon films. Being a Mormon, I've always felt that the humor was too exclusive to the LDS community and made us seem like a bunch of obsessive wackos. I was hoping this would be the breath of fresh air, the Halestorm movie I could finally discuss with my non-Mormon friends.

Boy, was I wrong.

I figured, since this had B-list talent like Clint Howard, Gary Coleman, Andrew Wilson, and Fred Willard (one of my favorites), this would have to be at least a little funny. And besides, church basketball is ripe with potential for plenty of hilarious gags and such. But I must say, throughout the entire movie, it seemed as though no one knew what they were doing. Every joke fell flat, and every opportunity for a genuinely funny gag went ignored. The dialogue was bland, and the film had some of the worst character development I have ever seen. Every single character but Wilson's was less than one-dimensional. It's hard to believe that after nine re-writes the film was still as mind-numbingly stale as the train wreck I witnessed. I can't put into words the rage I felt sitting through this. My friends and I were extras in the final game scene, so we went to the premiere in Washington City, UT. Kurt Hale, the director, was there, and I must say, I avoided all contact with him after the show. He waited at the door, seemingly ready for feedback. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that his film not only ripped away a good hour and a half of my life, but it left a nasty, painful scar that I will never forget.

Here are a few specific problems I had: There was a minor love story subplot between the janitor and the chubby piano player, but these two characters came out of nowhere, and were impossible to care about, so my friends and I were left constantly wondering why we were supposed to care about these two lame, uninteresting characters. There were many subplots that popped up every now and then, each promising the audience the chance for laughs, but each one came and went in a puff of smoke, ending before you could even start caring. This was pretty much how the whole movie felt.

This film was a major letdown, and I feel bad for everyone who's expecting the first REAL funny Mormon movie. True, the jokes in this one aren't too exclusive to Mormons. Then again, it's hard to tell what was a joke and what was a loud ringing sensation in my ears.

Please, do NOT see this movie. Keep in your mind the fantasy that this movie is hilarious. Spare yourself the disappointment I went through