I saw a screening of this movie in Los Angeles on July 15, 2004. "Sons of Provo" is thoroughly enjoyable. It is well written, acted, directed, shot and cut. I've long been wondering if I would ever see a well-done, very-low-budget independent in the Guffman-Best-In-Show pseudo-doc style. After so many that made me walk out or shut my eyes in pain, "Sons of Provo" delivered the goods in spades. 'Sons of Provo' is about two brothers in their mid-twenties who start an In Sync style boy band and rise to middling success in the small towns of Utah. Imagine laughing out loud at a movie in which the dirtiest word spoken is 'Flip.' The filmmakers did a great job of creating hilariously sincere characters, placing them in a funny situations and keeping the story fresh as the movie progresses. I'd recommend it to absolutely everyone. I can only say that I hope it finds a way onto cable or even art-house screens. Without a single recognizable face in the cast, I know that the producers have their work cut out for them getting this movie to an audience.
There is one disclaimer to my review, which is that I am married to a former Mormon. I think I enjoyed the film more because of my familiarity with Mormon life many times I was laughing because it was like watching my in-laws. However, I'm thinking that Mormon life is to "Sons of Provo" as dog show culture is to "Best In Show." I don't know a thing about dog shows and still thought "Best In Show" was brilliant, the best of Christopher Guest's films. And I bet dog show people loved the movie, probably more than I did. I believe the same will go for "Sons of Provo". I just hope that the filmmakers can convince a distributor somewhere that a general audience will enjoy laughing at what they see as a satire of Mormon culture while the Mormon audience will see this as a lovingly hilarious homage to their culture.
There is one disclaimer to my review, which is that I am married to a former Mormon. I think I enjoyed the film more because of my familiarity with Mormon life many times I was laughing because it was like watching my in-laws. However, I'm thinking that Mormon life is to "Sons of Provo" as dog show culture is to "Best In Show." I don't know a thing about dog shows and still thought "Best In Show" was brilliant, the best of Christopher Guest's films. And I bet dog show people loved the movie, probably more than I did. I believe the same will go for "Sons of Provo". I just hope that the filmmakers can convince a distributor somewhere that a general audience will enjoy laughing at what they see as a satire of Mormon culture while the Mormon audience will see this as a lovingly hilarious homage to their culture.