Change Your Image
amybjorge
Reviews
Brigham City (2001)
Not for Non-Mormons
[CONTAINS MILD SPOILER] I have heard a lot of people say that they would recommend this film for Mormons and Non-Mormons alike. I do not agree. This movie, along with most other LDS-produced movies I've seen, contains many subtle biases toward Non-Mormons that often go unnoticed by those who aren't looking for them. The main one that comes to mind is the fact that the Sheriff and his "posse" decide that the best place to find the serial killer would be the place where the "drinkers" (code for Non-Mormon) hang out- so they go to a local bar and confiscate the beer bottles in order to take fingerprints. They then took those fingerprints and scanned every last one hoping to find someone with a criminal record. Needless to say, their theory was flawed and they were not able to get anything useful. I wouldn't recommend this movie to any of my Non-Mormon friends because I wouldn't want them to think that Mormons equate drinking a beer with being a serial killer. (Although that's not a huge secret here in Utah.)
I've said it before- I keep waiting for one of these movies to come out that doesn't contain anything of this nature. I'm still waiting.
The Singles Ward (2002)
Not for "nons"
I enjoyed certain parts of the "The Singles Ward", but one thing that really bothered me was how the non-Mormon archetypes were portrayed.
I can think of only two: The male non-Mormon, who was covered with tattoos and body piercings (very scary-looking), who liked to "car bungee" and the Female non-Mormon who worked in the comedy club and was, for lack of a better term, a bitch. "Thankfully", at least the male non-Mormon, due to the good influence of his LDS roommates, went on to serve a church mission and adopted a more "clean cut" image. Sadly, I don't know what happened to the vicious tank-top-wearing bitch. I see these types of things way too much in LDS movies, which I think is unfortunate because it comes across as ignorant and bigoted, even if it is unintentional. I definitely think it says something about how non-Mormons are sometimes perceived by Mormons (especially in Utah).
Also, I thought that Cammie's character was a little intense. I thought that the jokes Jonathan made about BYU were mild and amusing, but they made Cammie cry because they were just so "anti". At times during the movie, I wondered if God himself would fully meet her approval.
Every time one of these movies comes out, I wonder if "this one" will be "the one" that appeals to both LDS and Non-LDS alike. I'm still waiting.