God's Army (2000)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

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:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Elder Sandoval is seen playing a guitar. Musical instruments are allowed on Mormon missions, though many forgo them, preferring to travel light.

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:

Seven Wonders

This film is an amazing accomplishment.

If anyone had dared suggest that I could sit through 104 minutes of 20-something youths trying to convert people around Los Angeles to the Mormon church, I would have snickered. But I did sit through it and loved it.

The motives driving these young men gradually become apparent, but at no time are the religious aspects of the film overbearing to a non-Mormon (I am a Unitarian and am extremely sensitive to propagandizing or proselytizing) At the end of the movie, the viewer has a understanding of and respect for the beliefs the missionaries are trying to instill in others.

Most appealing is the gentle humor when the real world of Los Angeles comes in conflict with the Mormons' beliefs. One scene is priceless -- the harried father, two children screaming, his wife yelling, who is being assured by the Mormon missionaries that the family is eternal.

This film is well off the beaten cinema path -- if religion is not central to your life but you enjoy well written, well directed drama, God's Army is for you.