The R.M.

I am not LDS, but I've lived in Utah 25 years and am a professional genealogist, so I understood and appreciated lot of the "in-jokes." I caught this movie on KJZZ , a local independent broadcast network, on a Sunday night and while I came in a bit late, I kept watching - even to the detriment of my regular Sunday night shows.

I can see where some people might be offended by the exaggerated portrayal of LDS culture, but from a non-Mormon point of view, it's refreshing to know that there are some LDS people who can poke fun at themselves and their culture.

If I were to pick my favorite scene, without "spoiling" it, I would say it was the restaurant scene and the names of some of the dishes.

I've been telling my LDS friends about the movie all day and they've all laughed at the scenes I've described and those who've seen it have had nothing bad to say about it.

If it is available as a rental, I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

I have lived in Utah for 12 years, and like another reviewer, I had seen part of this on a local TV station a couple of weeks ago, and thought what I saw was pretty funny, so I rented the DVD. The first half of the movie is hilarious! Nothing goes right for the main character after he returns from his mission to Wyoming (a big laugh right there...). My daughters and I laughed our heads off. Toward the end of the movie, the momentum was somewhat lost by the convoluted story. The movie tried to turn serious, and it came off as a bit preachy. It was a bit heavy handed toward "jack" Mormons and toward non-Mormons, as they are depicted as heavy drinkers and just all around bad people. It wasn't a bad movie, however, and we got some good laughs out of it. "Big Budah" the local radio personality did surprisingly well in his acting debut! The DVD has a lot of fun extras too. All in all, I recommend it for good family viewing and a few laughs.

The R.M. has some inspired moments, and generally treats the idea of a returned missionary with humor. All of the things that go wrong are generally predictable, but expressed in a humorous way.

There are problems with the film, however. The biggest is the film's racial insensitivity. Early in the movie, Jared Phelps finds that a Chinese-American family has moved into his old home. With vaguely Asian music in the background, Mr. Wong kicks Phelps in the face. Why does the Asian-American character have to be an expert in martial arts? Why is there Asian music in the background? This might not have been an issue had there been any other Asian-American characters, but there were not.

Similarly, the Tongan exchange student in the film is named Humuhumunukunukuapua. This is the name of the Hawaiian state fish. Would a French foreign exchange student have been named Bratwurst?

Another problem with the film is the blatant ad for utahweddings.com. While presented in a slightly humorous way, it's still clear that it's an ad, and takes up at least 2 minutes of screen time.

Just when I imagined LDS-driven comedy had reached a maximum, having no more cracks to make on the cinematic scene, I saw the world premiere of The RM in Sandy, Utah. I found myself bent over in laughter for a majority of the film, but ultimately left the theatre wishing there was more of a story-line and actors with more talent. In comparison to the 2002 film Singles Ward, corny jokes were found without much effort; however, I found a stronger comedial aspect in The RM. I would definately see it again, but not until it reaches the dollar theatre or comes out on video. I would describe this movie as a must-see for LDS people of all ages. I rated this a 7 out of 10.

Jared is a young Mormon man who has just finished his two year missionary stint. He believes he is coming back to a job and plans on proposing to his longtime girlfriend. Horrors! After buying the ring, he learns his girlfriend is two weeks away from marrying someone else and his job is down the drain, too. Not only that, but his parents have sold his car and adopted a young man who is now inhabiting Jared's old room! Whew. Well, there is the den and Jared snags a job as a repo man for a rental company, among other prospects. And, he valiantly tries to sell the ring to improve his cash flow. But, things look up when he meets Kelly. She is the daughter of an important church man and she is beautiful. Can she possibly be interested in Jared? Everyone will take a shine to this film whether they are Mormon or not. The actors are engaging and funny, the script is snappy and the production values are good. There are a few insider jokes about Mormons which may fly over the viewer's head but it does not matter in the long run. If you are searching for another romantic comedy with good principles, put your faith in this review and find this movie. The film delivers a dose of happiness for any member of the viewing audience.