Sons of Provo (2004)

"MPAA - Rated PG for mild language and thematic elements" Are you kidding me?? The strongest language occurs in the hilariously dramatic scene where one character says "Uncle Will, you're being a butt!" (followed by gasps & horrified expressions).I just thought I'd use that example up front so you'd know what you're in for. "Sons of Provo" is a riotously satirical mockumentary about a Mormon boy band trying to find success in the Utah music scene. Although as one character points out "We're men. Um... which is kind of funny. Why is it a boy band? We should be a man band. I'll bring that up with them later."Not since "Spinal Tap" or the equally witty Christopher Guest music mockumentary "A Mighty Wind" have I heard such great lines. As with Christopher Guest's films, the humor comes from the absurdity and stupidity of clueless musicians. But here in "Sons of Provo" we get a double dose of absurdity due to the squeaky clean approach of characters bound by the strict moral code of the Church. For example, the guys dare to perform a rap song. In the next scene we see a terrified, hysterical girl in the parking lot waiting to be taken home because "rap doesn't come from a very holy place!"What's funny is, while taking satirical jabs like this, the film remains respectful of Mormon culture and never mocks them or anyone. Satire without sarcasm is a tough feat to pull off, but writer/director/actor Will Swenson (himself having been raised Mormon) pulls it off delightfully. The result is pure hilarity that's fun for everyone regardless of what culture, musical taste, faith or lack of faith you have.I counted at least half a dozen gags that are absolutely classic. Like in "Spinal Tap" remember the Stonehenge gag, the 11 gag, and so on? Here we have the same sort of memorable writing and funny deadpan delivery to immortalize some of these scenes in comedy history. You'll love the garage door gag, the ring gag, the malfunctioning microphone stand gag, the "you're being a butt" gag, and the list goes on. Immediately after finishing this movie (and wiping the tears of laughter from my face) I had to watch it again with the subtitles on so I could catch all the lyrics I had missed. Watch the deleted scenes & bloopers for even more hilarity (like the headset mic scene, OMG you'll be howling just like the actors were, hence ruining the take).Ever since "Spinal Tap", the first wildly successful music mockumentary, films have populated the genre with many great & many not-so-great efforts. I'm pleased to announce that "Sons of Provo" falls into the "great" category alongside other gems like "A Mighty Wind" (about folk musicians), "Razzle Dazzle" (about a girls' dance school) and "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" (a real-life heavy metal documentary that's as funny as fiction). If you see any of these films pop up on your radar, be sure to check them out immediately.

I was invited to an early screening of the movie about four months before it was released. I had to watch the film and later fill out a packet on my thoughts. It was THE hardest thing to sit through on earth. The show just crawls by, and you quickly begin wishing you were dead. The thing is, there are two types of Mormon films. The good ones with actual good stories, and the crappy ones that just plain stink. Saints and Soldiers, now there is a good movie. But, with these wannabe-comedies, the writers and the actors just try too hard. Basically, they try to be funny when they are not. No wonder why there is such a small target audience for these films; they're filled with 'inside jokes' that aren't funny to begin with, and they just try to poke fun at average things. It's the story that makes the movie, and the stories for these movies are just weak. I bet you can guess what my packet looked like when I was told to fill it out after the movie. ;)

Ugh! I bought the soundtrack (pre-released) a few months ago and (mostly) enjoyed the music. However, I should have heeded the warnings from the vocal local critics and skipped this one. Why do stupid/bad/sophomoric/high-school (or worse!)-quality cinema? This mocumentary is almost funny, almost interesting, and mostly just plain boring and painful to watch (painful in the sense that you wish the acting, especially from the "star" of the film, was actually more than a mere over-the-top caricature).There's nothing horrid (except for some of the singing) or inappropriate in the film, and a vocal student who has a 15-second bit part (the young Mr. Sacket) demonstrates true musical talent, Kirby does his usual excellent job (although why he would be involved with this crap is beyond me; he really shined in "The Best Two Years" and "Saints and Soldiers"), and the choreographer was marvelous, but really: don't support junk like this. It gives Cinema a bad name (and only fuels the hypercritics of "Mormon" cinema).The only difference between singing and sinning is a g; this one gets awfully close - an affront on sensibilities all around. Halestone should be ashamed.

"Sons of Provo" is a mockumentary done in the vein of Christopher Guest films and Rob Reiner's "This is Spinal Tap" and it comes off as clever and fresh, where other LDS comedies fall short and go stale.Our story begins with a three member Mormon boy band that loses one of its members and is on the search for a replacement. The production quality on this film was excellent. The sound was clear in every scene, the lighting and cinematography overall were excellent. The songs the cast sings really help move the story along. The LDS culture in Utah is presented satirically with all its quirks and foibles and comes through subtly in everything from the way the characters speak, interact and dress.My only criticism is that though the film is done with that low-tech feel with a crew following the cast and capturing their every move on video, there are a few scenes where it loses that feel and the camera seems to be resting on a tripod instead. I remember this being the case with a bleacher/park scene in the film. This causes the shots to be framed too perfectly and thus lose that documentary/mockumentary feel.Overall though, if you are LDS, you will enjoy this film. If you are a fan of the mockumentary genre, you're going to love this. I didn't waste time getting the DVD to other LDS comedies, but I'm getting the DVD to this one.