Reviews of and news articles about
Richard Dutcher's film
"God's Army"
- Page 5 -

'God's Army' Marches On To Hollywood

After sweeping through Utah, establishing beachheads from Boise to Phoenix and crossing the million-dollar threshold, "God's Army" is preparing to invade new territory: Hollywood.

The low-budget movie about Mormon missionaries in Los Angeles will get its L.A. opening Friday at the Vine Theatre, near the corner of Hollywood and Vine. It also will open at six theaters in suburban Orange and Riverside counties.

"I always felt that the film would do well when the audience found it," said Richard Dutcher, the movie's director-producer-writer-star, who will be with his cast at the Vine Theatre's premiere Friday night.

Even before hitting Hollywood, "God's Army" had racked up respectable box-office figures for an independently distributed movie. Last weekend, the movie took in $108,457 at 57 theaters -- or $1,902 per theater -- to raise its total to $1,269,579 since its March 10 debut in the Salt Lake area.

Dutcher said the box-office figures for "God's Army" -- which follows a fresh-off-the-bus missionary in the not-so-mean streets of L.A. -- prove his contention that an LDS-themed movie could find an audience.

"Even if it only reaches an LDS audience, it has enough of an audience to sustain itself in just about every major city in the United States and even most of the minor ones,'' he said. "Whether we go to Indianapolis or Pittsburgh or Fort Lauderdale, [Fla.], anywhere where there's four or five wards in a town, that's enough people to open it for a week. . . . Most of the art houses out there that show foreign films or independent stuff, if they have 50 people on a Friday night, they think that's a pretty good house, and they're able to stay afloat like that."

Though Dutcher said non-Mormons who have seen "God's Army" have generally liked it, "I made the film for the LDS audience, so I'm not all that concerned when it doesn't become this huge crossover hit."

In the cities where it has opened -- including Boise, Phoenix, Tucson, Ariz., and Las Vegas -- the audience has been 80 to 85 percent LDS "and the people that they bring," Dutcher said.

Some critics have agreed with Dutcher on that point. " 'God's Army' doesn't really seem to be aimed at non-Mormons -- it has more the feel of a sort of training/morale propaganda film for missionary kids who may be struggling with the urge to ditch," wrote M.V. Moorhead in the Phoenix New Times. Anthony Del Valle, writing in Las Vegas' weekly City Life, accused Dutcher of cheating on the movie's intriguing premise, saying the director "sets up compelling dramatic situations but resolves them all undramatically."

"We've bumped into people who are predisposed to dislike Mormons in general, so 'God's Army' is not a popular movie with them," Dutcher said. "In Las Vegas, in one of the weekly papers a non-Mormon reviewer gave us a really high review -- and you open up the other weekly paper and they gave us a 'bomb' review, just a really vicious attack. . . . I'm expecting more of the same. It's going to be kind of interesting when we get into Nashville, [Tenn.], and Atlanta, to see how those reviews come in."

The movie has generated ticket-sale patterns different from a Hollywood film -- with a midweek take as strong as its weekend haul.

"Our Sundays, of course, are almost nonexistent and our Mondays are so huge," Dutcher said. Credit the Mormon habit of staying home on the Sabbath and going out for family activities on Mondays.

Theater owners are always surprised by the large Monday audiences, Dutcher said, "even though we tell them to expect this. . . . They always have too few people working at the theater and not enough people behind the candy counter."

Mission Persons: God's Army soldiers through Mormon trenches

"You don't come up to people's doors!" yells a woman to a pair of Mormon missionaries, before slamming her door in their faces. The scene, near the beginning of the film God's Army, is intended to illustrate the difficulties of Mormon missionary work, which I suppose it does. But my sympathies were entirely with the woman, and so, I'd guess, will be those of most audience members outside the faith.

This phenomenon keeps recurring throughout the film. When an African-American Mormon missionary (!), Elder Banks (DeSean Terry), is asked by a black couple he's talking to why the church didn't admit blacks to the ministry until 1978, his earnest answer boils down to: Because that's how the church says God wanted it. When the man says, "Boy, they are making a fool out of you," you may feel yourself nodding along. Likewise, Elder Kinegar (Michael Buster), a troubled young intellectual who's been reading anti-Mormon books and doubting his faith, is met with striking hostility from his fellow Mormons. Yet you're likely to find the questions he poses about Mormon doctrine quite reasonable.

In fairness, God's Army doesn't really seem to be aimed at non-Mormons -- it has more the feel of a sort of training/morale propaganda film for missionary kids who may be struggling with the urge to ditch. Though it's made smoothly and competently, it's too slow and insipid to really call a good movie. But as a behind-the-scenes cultural glimpse, it's fascinating. I've known -- and, almost to a person, liked -- a lot of Mormons, but a great deal about the lifestyle, which seems so self-consciously mainstream on the surface, remains mysterious to outsiders. Because God's Army appears meant for the flock rather than for us black sheep, it feels all the more illuminating.

The title isn't accidental -- the protagonist, the 19-year-old Midwestern Elder Allen (Matthew Brown), comes to La-La Land for his mission, and finds himself sharing an apartment with stock characters not so dissimilar to the barracks-mates of a World War II movie. Elder Allen is "the kid" who must be made a man by his experiences. His bunkies include a gearhead prankster (Jeff Kelly); a stolid, dignified Hispanic (Luis Robledo); and the aforementioned soulful Elder Banks and skeptical Elder Kinegar. In the WWII movie, one presumes, Kinegar's equivalent would be the loathsome college fellow who claims pacifist qualms, but who's really just yellow.

The "Sarge" of this outfit, and the apple of the film's eye, is the 29-year-old paragon Elder Dalton, played by Richard Dutcher, who also wrote, produced and directed the film. Dalton, who left medical school to become a missionary, must take the young greenhorn Allen and whip him into moral shape, so he can face the terrible Sodom/Gomorrah that the movie keeps assuring us L.A. is. Dutcher is far too demure to show us any of this decadence, though -- if only L.A. were really no seamier than what we're shown here. Even the two hookers that Dalton and Allen are trying to tempt into the fold look healthy and strapping and well-nourished.

There's one cute, self-deprecating joke -- a man surrounded by screaming kids and a nagging wife looks appalled when the missionaries tell him that his marriage can last for all eternity. Any other laughs in God's Army -- like, for instance, the impassioned enthusiasm of the hookers to lure Elders Allen and Dalton into their lair -- are of the unintentional variety.

This much, at least, can certainly be said for God's Army -- it's far and away the best movie about a young Mormon's journey of discovery to Los Angeles since Trey Parker's Orgazmo of 1997. In that film, the main character became a hard-core porn star in order to finance a proper Mormon wedding to his beloved back home in Utah. At the end, Jesus appeared to him, and endorsed this course of action with an enthusiastic thumbs up. No similar manifestation occurs at the end of God's Army, nor, I'm afraid, does any seem warranted by the movie.

Holy War
God's Army gives Mormonism a boost with classic military archetypes

[This is a reprint of the Moorhead review above.]

Las Vegas "City Life" (a weekly publication) movie listing samplings

FINAL DESTINATION [bomb] (R, 93 mins) Devon Sawa (Idle Hands) & friends avoid death in a plane crash but start dying one by one in snooze-a-rama suspense. There is absolutely nothing good to say about this movie. (GF: 3.23.00) Century 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:05, 8:05, 9:00, 10:10; CineLV 1:10, 3:15, 5:20, 7:50, 10:05; LVDI 8:00 (& Love & Basketball); Rancho (12:00 not Fri), 5:05, 9:55 (& Romeo Must Die); Showcase 11:30, 1:45, 4:00, 7:00, 9:15, 12:00; Sunset 1:15, 7:20; Texas 12:45, 3:10, 5:40, 8:00, 10:20; Village 12:15, 7:05

GOD'S ARMY [bomb] (PG, 107 mins) Richard Dutcher's dramatically illegitimate Mormon missionary drama follows Matthew Brown as he learns the ropes. This army could use some serious drugs. (ADV: 4.20.00) Boulder 1:00, 3:55, 7:25, 10:30; Colonnade 1:55, 4:20, 6:45, 9:15; Texas 12:15, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:15

GOSSIP * (R, 90 mins) See review. Century 12:10, 10:20; CineH 9:35 p.m. only; CineLV 5:15, 7:00, 9:15; Colonnade 4:10, 9:00; LVDI 8:00 (& 28 Days); Rainbow 11:10, 4:15, 9:50; Rancho (12:30, 2:50 not Fri), 5:15, 7:25, 9:35; Sunset 12:45, 3:20, 5:40, 8:00, 10:15; Texas 12:20, 5:20, 7:45; Village 2:20, 4:45, 9:20

HIGH FIDELITY * (R, 114 mins) John Cusack in another romantic comedy as a music junkie, who runs a hip-snob record store, dumped by his girlfriend. Hyped as a music lovers' movie, The Hi-Lo Country director Stephen Frears' film does have tons of music, but it's used poorly, as background noise. Long, boring and cold, with endless flashbacks, its nonplot drags and drags. (GF: 3.30.00) Century 12:15, 2:35, 4:50, 7:15, 9:35; CineLV 1:50, 4:10, 7:10, 9:35; GValley 12:50, 4:30, 7:30, 10:10

KEEPING THE FAITH *1/2 (PG-13, 129 mins) Priest Edward Norton & rabbi Ben Stiller both fall for Jenna Elfman in Norton's romantic religion comedy that's way too long. With Anne Bancroft, Milos Forman. (AA: 4.13.00) Boulder 1:15, 4:20, 7:10, 9:55; CineH 11:45, 2:45, 5:15, 7:55, 10:40; Colonnade 1:00, 3:45, 6:55, 9:55; Orleans 1:50, 4:40, 7:35, 10:25; Rainbow 11:00, 1:30, 4:20, 7:10, 10:10; Rancho 11:30, 2:10, 4:50, 7:30, 10:10; Sunset 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, 10:20; Texas 12:50, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00; Village 12:30, 3:20, 7:10, 9:55

MISSION TO MARS * (PG, 120 mins) Don Cheadle is stuck on Mars; Tim Robbins and Gary Sinise go get him. Director Brian De Palma was never great, but what is this junk? Mission to Dullsville is more like it. (GF: 3.9.00) Boulder 1:10, 4:10, 7:30, 10:15

READY TO RUMBLE * (PG-13, 107 mins) Losers David Arquette and James' son Scott Caan learn that "wrestling's for retards," when they rescue washed-up champ Oliver Platt from obscurity. Brian Robbins' grappling pic has balls big enough to describe wrestling fans: "These kids, they're morons." Fake blood, cheesy, speeded-up camerawork, puerile gags and a Vegas sequence as fake as the rest of the flick. (AA: 4.6.00) CineLV 5:05, 7:45, 10:05

RETURN TO ME [bomb] (PG, 115 mins) Widower David Duchovny meets Minnie Driver, the recipient of his late wife's donated heart. Ridiculous. (ADV: 4.6.00) Boulder 12:50, 3:50, 7:15, 10:00; CineH 12:05, 2:35, 5:10, 7:35, 10:05; CineLV 1:00, 1:20, 3:30, 3:40, 7:00, 7:30, 9:15, 9:55; Colonnade 1:10, 3:50, 6:50, 9:25; GValley 12:40, 3:30, 7:50, 10:25; Rainbow 1:50, 7:00; Rancho 11:45, 2:20, 4:55, 7:35, 10:05; Texas 1:30, 4:30, 7:15, 10:00; Village 12:10, 2:35, 4:55, 7:20, 9:50

THE ROAD TO EL DORADO *1/2 (PG, 85 mins) DreamWorks' disgustingly Disney-derivative animated adventure stars Kevin Kline & Kenneth Branagh as 16th-century hustlers who win a map to the legendary city of gold where they're mistaken for deities. The two main characters create few laughs, are unheroic and you actually begin to hate them; the animation is rarely worth ooh-ing; and the reteaming of The Lion King's Elton John & lyricist Tim Rice falls flat. Boring, unoriginal and unfunny. (MP: 3.30.00) Boulder 11:45, 2:10, 4:35, 7:00, 9:20; CineH 12:30, 2:45, 4:45, 7:00; CineLV 1:40, 3:35, 5:30, (not Wed 7:35, 9:40); Colonnade 1:15, 3:20, 5:25, 7:30, 9:30; GValley 12:20, 2:20, 4:20, 7:10, 9:25; LVDI 8:00 (& The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas); Rainbow 12:00, 2:20, 4:50, 6:50, 9:30; Rancho 11:35, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30; Texas 12:15, 2:30, 4:50, 7:00, 9:20; Village 12:25, 3:05, 5:15, (Mon-Thu only 7:05, 8:50)

The Missionary Position

You're fooled during the early moments of God's Armyinto thinking the film is going to tackle a great subject. Writer/producer/director/co-star Richard Dutcher invites us to tag along as 19-year-old Brandon Allen (Matthew Brown) learns the ropes of being a Mormon missionary in Los Angeles. Most of us know what it's like to be bothered by those knocks on the door that peddle the world of Joseph Smith. But what's it like to be the knockee? What attracts young men and women to the world of devotion and ridicule that is the Mormon street missionary? No major studio film has ever dealt (in a nonpatronizing way) with those questions, and so the premise of God's Army is an exciting one.

But Dutcher cheats. Allen's personal problems drive him into the hands of the missionaries. His problems are all solved when he falls to his knees one day and "wakes up" to the fact that the Mormon Church has all the answers he needs. Whether that scene is spiritually legitimate is an individual decision. The problem is, it's dramatically illegitimate. Allen could just as easily have woken to the realization that Catholicism has all the answers, or that Buddha is the man. Dutcher writes in a couple of doubters, but their objections to Mormonism are dismissed as matters of faith. He sets up compelling dramatic situations but resolves them all undramatically. He suggests we must believe in Mormonism because that is what God has told us to do.

Dutcher is not much for behavior details. He tries to show us that young Mormons are just as lovably loony as anyone else. So he has one of them secretly putting salt in a fellow missionary's cereal, and another taking a picture of a missionary on the toilet, and other outrageous stuff. This Army could use some serious drugs.

God's Army (PG)

Director	Richard Dutcher
Stars:	Matthew Brown
Rating	BOMB
Details	Opens Friday. See CineLife.

Haro-Online review of "God's Army"

Interested in learning more about the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints? God's Army may not be the movie for you. God's Army is an independent movie by Richard Dutcher; one made from a Mormon point of view. This is interesting, since a Mormon perspective is not usually heard in the film world. The only Mormon-related movies in recent memory are Orgazmo by Trey Parker (the co-creator of South Park which should tell you about the level of the movie) and Your Friends and Neighbors and In the Company of Men, two films by Neil Labute, a Mormon filmmaker who's films would probably horrify members of the LDS church. Instead, God's Army is made along the same lines as The Omega Code, the hokey action movie from TBN. It is a film from a demographic segment not quite film-savvy, and regardless of the final quality, will have a built in audience trumpeting its greatness. Dutcher's challenge is to make a film true to his beliefs that both Mormons and non-Mormons will be able to appreciate. He succeeds partially.

The main problem is that Dutcher uses conventional storytelling and tired cliches to push the story forward, ignoring far more interesting parts of his narrative. God's Army follows Elder Allen (Matthew Brown), a Kansas native beginning his mission in Los Angeles. Allen is dealing with problems in his family, and is unsure of his desire to complete the mission. The church pairs him with Elder Dalton (Dutcher), a twenty-nine year old also on a mission. Dalton is a caring but stern companion. The movie follows them as they interact with other missionaries, and try to preach to people in their ward. The first disappointment is with Brown's character. His doubts overwhelm him so completely that he tries to go home his first night in Los Angeles. Why does he decide to stay? Dalton sure did not seem convincing. Any internal struggle is kept quiet, and the power is lost upon the audience.

The other missionaries living with Dalton and Brown and infinitely more interesting, and their stories are also shortchanged. Elder Banks (DeSean Terry) is a black Mormon, who did not know of many church's former policies until after his conversion. He speaks about his frustration for a few minutes, then his little story is over. The same happens with Elder Kinegar (Michael Buster, Drop Dead Gorgeous), a Mormon who reads anti-Mormon books. He claims he is reading them to strengthen his own belief, by making sure he can debunk their allegations. Terry and Buster also give the best performances in the film. The other missionaries do not like this, and usually shout him down rather than trying to argue out their beliefs. Dutcher instead focuses on other, more superficial stories. The last third of the movie descends into cheesiness, with an especially melodramatic ending.

A lot will be lost on non-Mormons. Dutcher does not explain much, he just displays them on screen. He does deserve credit for toning down any preaching towards the audience; any such inclusion would turn away all non-Mormon audiences. However, some sort of history or introduction would be nice. The dialogue is interesting and well written, but the characters lack real depth. They have many opportunities to talk about their religion and how it affects them, but any such treatment is short and lacking. By the end of God's Army, all of the characters moved forward along their spiritual paths, but it is not believable. They each have their five to ten minutes in front of the camera, then the story moves on to someone else.

It is also obvious that Dutcher's filmmaking ability could also improve, and undoubtedly will with future films. His relative inexperience shows with some of the shots and camera angles at various points in the film. He is also a better director and writer than actor; most of his delivery is atonal. Elder Allen seems unsure of what to say or do most of the time, as does Brown, so his acting unintentionally succeeds. The most notable thing about God's Army is how utterly conventional it is when compared to normal films. It is much better than The Omega Code, but lacks the discernment of a film like Dogma.

Mongoose Rates It: Not That Good.

1 hour, 57 minutes, Rated PG for mild thematic elements and language

Opening this week

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Working on 'God's Army'

"God's Army" isn't Salt Lake City Temple Square Visitor's Center fare.

And that's a good thing if you ask writer/producer/director/actor Richard Dutcher.

"The church isn't located in downtown Salt Lake City. The church is located around the world. I think the time when all our media comes from Salt Lake City is done, and I think our leaders would agree with me. Our leaders have been encouraging us to do this sort of thing, yet members have been waiting around for the church to do it," Dutcher said in a phone interview from his Mapleton, Utah home.

What "this sort of thing is," is an in-your-face film about LDS missionary work in Los Angeles - a dramatic departure from the softly lighted, gentle, perfect LDS productions of past. It would appear Dutcher is not exactly following the Church line, although he would argue that is exactly what the film does.

"That seems such a funny thing to me, to consider 'God's Army' edgy or radical is mind boggling to me. ... I've had several people say this is the best film they've ever seen and I think that's because the film speaks to them like no film has ever done. ... This is the first time they've ever seen their stories accurately told."

The filmmaker continues that train of thought in a press release: " ... My example is always 'Fiddler on the Roof.' You can't take the Judaism out of that movie. It wouldn't work. But that's exactly what Mormon people tend to do when they're writing our stories. They think that they have to genericize everything, taking everything that's unique out of the characters, taking their faith and everything away from them that's really powerful."

Dutcher pulled from his own missionary experience for the writing of "God's Army." The Kansas native served an LDS mission in the Veracruz region of Southern Mexico, and from that experience came the background for his film.

"Almost all the stories are autobiographical. Condensed, fictionalized, but very autobiographical."

Long lines and large box-office receipts at Utah theaters have sent "God's Army" well on its way into mainstream theaters across the country, or at the very least across the West. Excel Entertainment Group, Inc., a Salt Lake City company, has assumed distribution of the film, with plans for mass releases in Arizona, Nevada, Idaho and California before the end of April, with an eventual goal of a national and international release.

Success wasn't always his companion. Dutcher found funding for his film hard to come by.

"The first thing I did was what all Mormon entrepreneurs do - which is to contact all the rich, well-known Mormons. That didn't work. They're not interested in making movies. They've been burned too many times," he explains in a press release.

Ironically, one of Dutcher's first large investments for the film came from a member of the Christian Science faith. And, in the end, Dutcher carried that same concept throughout the making of "God's Army." He says it was very important for him to select non-LDS collaborators for several key positions. And, in case you're wondering, the majority of actors and actresses are not LDS.

Will any of them be baptized soon?

It was actually a bit of a point of contention for Dutcher as Mormons flocked to the actors and actresses at the film's premiere asking the same question? Making the filmmakers and all concerned uncomfortable.

"Sometimes we are really terrible missionaries. Ineffective, you know. ... but while most of them (actors) had no idea what the church was when they started, they all left with very positive experiences."

It seems audiences at Utah theaters are doing the same, leaving with a positive experience, particularly if a Tuesday afternoon audience in Logan was any indication. Which leads Dutcher to believe he has achieved success with what he deems a "breakthrough" film. But has he gone over the edge? Has he revealed too many "personal" things, as one filmgoer put it?

"I don't believe that at all. ... I didn't show anything in this film that wouldn't be appropriate for a non-Mormon to see. There's nothing inappropriate. That feeling just comes from the fact we're not used to seeing these things on film. ... How do you tell a story about missionaries without including these things?"

Dutcher certainly didn't ask for permission.

"I didn't ever submit it for approval. I never asked for permission to do it, mostly because I understand that's not the business they're in. Our church leaders are responsible for providing ordinances and moving the church forward."

And speaking of moving forward, Dutcher is. He's already started work on his next film. Will it have a Mormon edge to it?

"Absolutely. That's all I want do do now. Someday I may want to make a cop movie, but it will probably be a Mormon cop movie."