Latter-day Saint Characters in Media  |  LDS Characters  |  Mormon Characters
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Select Movie Quotes
about Latter-day Saints / Mormons

This page features select quotes from movies, in which characters refer to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or its members, also known as Mormons.

This is in no way intended as a comprehensive listing.


Joseph Bologna speaking to James Caan (about Marsha Mason), Chapter Two (1979), written by Neil Simon:
"Why can't she move in with you? Is she against that? She's not a Mormon or anything, is she?"

William Shatner ("Capt. Kirk") speaking to Catherine Hicks about Leonard Nimoy ("Spock"), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986):
"Him? He's harmless! Back in the sixties he was part of the Free Speech movement at Berkeley. I think he did a little too much LDS."

James DuMont speaking to Colin Farrell, S.W.A.T. (2003):
"You know the deal, Jim... When we got married I converted to Mormonism. We can't consume anything that alters our state of mind... We treat our bodies with respect."

Denzyl Washington speaking to Ethan Hawke, Training Day (2001):
"Why? You're a Mormon or something? A Jesus Freak?"

Chevy Chase speaking to Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Fletch (1985):
"Here's the motel I stayed in. There's my car. The dog tried to bite that. There's the Mormon Tabernacle."

Matt Dillon and Liv Tyler, One Night at McCool's (2001):
Matt Dillon: "This guy 'Utah', is he a Mormon?"
Liv Tyler: "Uh, I wouldn't say that."

Chevy Chase and Burton Gilliam, Fletch (1985):
Chevy Chase: "What, is he a Mormon?"
Burton Gilliam: "I don't think he's doing a whole lot of singing with the Tabernacle Choir."

Will Smith, Heather Graham and Eric Thal, Six Degrees of Separation (1993), written by John Guare:
Will Smith: "So... do they have any black people in Utah?"
Eric Thal: "Maybe two."
Heather Graham: "Ah! I saw them once. Two black people."
Eric Thal: "Yeah. The Mormons brought in two."

John Goodman, One Night at McCool's (2001):
police officer: "He went by the name 'Utah.'"
John Goodman: "'Utah'... The Mormon State?"

Chevy Chase and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Fletch (1985):
Chevy Chase: "If you're so bored, why didn't you go to Utah with Alan?"
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson: "Well, Utah's not exactly a cure for boredom."

Samuel L. Jackson and Geena Davis, The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996):
Samuel L. Jackson: "Excuse me. Do you normally curse this much?"
Geena Davis: "What are you, a Mormon?"
Samuel L. Jackson: "Yes, I'm a Mormon. That's why I just smoked a pack of Newports and drank three vodka tonics."

Ellen DeGeneres and Ray McKinnon, Goodbye, Lover (1999):
Ellen DeGeneres: "Where are you from? Mars?"
Ray McKinnon: "Salt Lake."
Ellen DeGeneres: "Great. I got partnered with Brigham Young."

Gerry Becker to Johnny Depp, Donnie Brasco (1997):
"I'm a Mormon, mister. Now clean it up."

Alan Ruck, Cheaper by the Dozen (2003):
"Next time, let's book the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, too."

Sandra Bullock speaking to Heather Burns, Two Weeks Notice (2002):
"He asked me too? How many women do you think a man should take to dinner? Maybe in Utah."

Denise Faye speaking to Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago (2002):
"Not only was he married ...oh, no, he had six wives. One of those Mormons, you know. So that night, when he came home, I mixed him his drink as usual. You know, some guys just can't hold their arsenic."

Akim Tamiroff, Ocean's 11 (1960):
"So where is this old horse wrangler? 9:30! Still running around Salt Lake City, I'll bet, saying goodbye to all his wives."

Frank W. Abagnale, Jr., Frank Abagnale: Between Reality and Fiction (2003), documentary on Catch Me If You Can DVD:
"I left there and went to teach at Brigham Young as a professor of sociology. Wasn't difficult. Read one chapter ahead of my students. They never knew the difference."

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, The X Files (1998):
David Duchovny: "What's wrong?"
Gillian Anderson: "Salt Lake City, Utah. Transfer effective immediately. I already gave Skinner my letter of resignation."

Billy Crystal (speaking to an LDS film critic, putting a stop to John Cusack's ribald story), America's Sweethearts (2001):
"And that's five minutes. Thank you so much. Say hi to everybody in Salt Lake. Good to see you."

Frank Sinatra speaking to Akim Tamiroff, Ocean's 11 (1960):
"We're going to Salt Lake City."

Natalie Allen (CNN anchor), Contact (1997):
"In a related story, last night's daring raid on a Utah motel has led to the discovery of this amateur video, the apparent suicide note of the terrorist now believed responsible for the explosion in Florida this week."

Chevy Chase speaking to Tim Matheson, Fletch (1985):
"Sally Ann and Alan were married eight years ago... never divorced, making Stanwyk a bigamist, even in Utah."

Many of the movie references about Latter-day Saints are jokes about or references to polygamy. In a way this is ironic, given the fact that a far smaller proportion of Latter-day Saints are polygamists compared to the general population or compared to adherents of just about every other denomination or religious group. Most polygamists in movies have no connections to Mormons, of course: They are Baptists, Catholics, Jews, atheists, Buddhists, Methodists, Muslims, people of other faiths or people of no particular faith. The main characters in "The Pilot's Wife" (2002) are a typical example:

Kirsty Mitchell: We were married after I became pregnant with Deirde. You know, it wasn't important to me. Jack wanted to be married in the Catholic Church.
Christine Lahti: Jack never went to church.
Kirsty Mitchell: He was devout. He went to mass whenever he could.
Christine Lahti: A "devout Catholic" with two wives. Oh.

Web page created 7 February 2005. Last modified 19 April 2005.