Sons of Provo

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.

This film is hilarious. There were many moments which paralleled Spiral Tap, which is in a large part its inspiration. The performances are great, with the actors doing their own singing and song writing. Overall a very talented group of people put together a hugely entertaining film with many laugh out loud moments. Done in the Spinal Tap style of a mockumentary, it even parodies this classic in fresh and funny ways. Who new the inner workings of trying to be a successful Christian Boy Band could be so funny? I'm glad somebody thought of it. It should get theatrical play at some point. In the mean time it is definitely checking out in festivals, where it seems to be getting good exposure.

"Sons of Provo" intrigued me initially because I know some of the supporting actors--the ones who play Jill Kieth and the recording engineer along with the top-billed ones. It was funny the whole way through.

There were only a couple of things where my expectations weren't met. 1)I wasn't ready for the documentary feel it had which made it feel more cheaply made than it actually was. 2)I had listened to the CD several times prior to the movie and was somewhat let down that not any of the songs were played in their entirety.

I wouldn't mind seeing it again with my expectations tweaked a little. Yes, it will have a documentary cinematic feel and no, none of the songs will be performed all the way through.

My favorite scene would have to be when the band crashes the wedding reception and the bride goes running off crying.

That's all. I may write another review when I see it again.

I saw this movie yesterday and came to IMDb today to find out more about it. Too bad for the reviewer who did not get it. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I've been hankering to laugh out loud for awhile now and Sons of Provo conjured those wicked barking laughs that surprise ones own self when voiced.

Cheers for the excellent, consistent performances by the actors, and thanks for the easy, entertaining story. Though some would make a comparison to a Christopher Guest film...and I guess I am now...I was glad that SoP didn't linger too much on the awkward hilarity of the characters, as I have found some of CG's later films to do.

I might really only give this movie a 9 for a few too many distracting uhs and ahs in the dialog, I had to give a 10 to raise the lame 3 offered by the popcorn litterbug. Keep our theaters clean! H

... who knew the Mormon church had such a thriving film industry? I watched the trailers that came with the DVD, and I was pretty impressed, even as a non-Mormon, at how much this one company has cranked out.

The film itself? Despite dragging in a few spots and sometimes going a bit too much over the edge with the jokes, it was great fun to watch. The songs the "boys" perform are by and large a riot, and the finale number was very moving and touching.

I'd be curious to know if the filmmakers were influenced by ALTAR BOYZ, an off-Broadway musical about a four-parts-Catholic-one-part-Jewish boy band.