This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2003, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The R.M.
Some improvement from "The Singles Ward" crew, but still an amateur effort.
Rated PG for some thematic elements; 102 minutes.
Opening today at area theaters.
When you spend $400,000 to make a movie,
then make $1.25 million at the box office, the predictable response is to make another movie using the same formula.
That's what director Kurt Hale and his co-screenwriter, John E. Moyer, the Utah filmmakers behind "The Singles Ward," do with "The R.M.," another comedy targeted to locals looking for squeaky-clean LDS-themed entertainment.
Alas, their new movie bears many of the same problems as their first one: amateurish performances and production values, pointless local cameos and a parochially exclusionary tone that penetrates all the way to the movie's title. The good news is that the boys are learning filmcraft and show they can at least set up a humorous premise -- even if they don't yet know how to make it pay off.
The title, Latter-day Saint code for "returned missionary," refers to young Jared Phelps (Kirby Heyborne), who is completing his two-year stint seeking converts in Evanston, Wyo. He is preparing to return to Utah, his loving family, his faithful girlfriend Molly (Erin M. Robert), his old job and studying at BYU.
But Jared's plans fall short of reality. His girlfriend got engaged, his family has moved into a new house, his room is occupied by a Samoan exchange student (Leroy Te'o, a k a KISN-FM's "Big Buddha"), and his old boss (ex-Major Leaguer Wally Joyner) has left to start his own small business.
As for his BYU aspirations, Jared is encouraged by his Jack Mormon best pal Kori (Will Swenson, the lead in "The Singles Ward") to enroll at the U. and join Kori's beer-happy frat. Meanwhile, Jared meets Kelly (Britani Bateman), who makes his heart flutter -- especially when he learns her father is a General Authority.
Hale and Moyer's script has flashes of humor -- like the scene where Jared tries to return the engagement ring meant for Molly, and the jewelry-store clerk listens to his plight with a bartender's sympathy. But many jokes play out longer than necessary. For example, when Joyner's character and his wife (Sherry Leigh) start describing their new business -- Utahweddings.com -- as if starring in their own infomercial, it's funny for a few seconds, but the joke goes on until it turns into an informercial.
The Utah celebrity cameos are plentiful. A few have some nice irony (hey, who wouldn't want to see LDS boy band Jericho Road behind bars?), but others -- like WB morning star Mitch English or Utah actor Scott Christopher -- are embarrassingly unfunny.
"The R.M." makes strides toward universality -- the central conflict between Jared and Kori, though a bit smarmy, nicely transcends LDS jargon -- but too often plays to its built-in audience. "The R.M." shows Hale & Co. at a crossroads: Start reaching to a crossover audience or stagnate until their LDS fans get bored with the same old stuff.