Meet the Mormons

Meet the Mormons

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Blair Treu
Produced by Jeff Roberts
Music by Sam Cardon
Cinematography R.J. Hill
Brian Sullivan
Edited by Wynn Hougaard
Production
company
Distributed by Purdie Distribution
Release dates
  • October 10, 2014 (2014-10-10)
Running time
 78 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Box office $6,047,363[1]

Meet the Mormons is a 2014 American documentary film directed by Blair Treu and produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The film documents the lives of six devout Mormons living in the United States, Costa Rica, and Nepal. The LDS Church donated all net proceeds from the theatrical release of film to the American Red Cross.

Production

The film was originally designed for viewing in the Legacy Theater in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, but after screenings with test audiences, LDS Church leadership decided to release the film first in theaters across the United States.[2] According to Jeffrey R. Holland, the film is "not a proselytizing effort but informative" and is an "opportunity to share who Mormons really are".[3] The film is financed and distributed by the LDS Church, a first for the church. It is shot in documentary format and will be translated into 10 languages.[2]

American singer-songwriter and actor David Archuleta sang the track "Glorious" for the film.[4]

The film features Jermaine Sullivan, "The Bishop", and his family. Sullivan is an African-American who is an academic counselor at the University of Phoenix. He was bishop of a ward in Atlanta, Georgia when the film was made, and now serves as a stake president.[5][6] The film also covers Sullivan's wife and children. Darius Gray was among the associates of Sullivan interviewed.

"The Coach", Ken Niumatalolo, head football coach at the United States Naval Academy.

"The Fighter", Carolina Muñoz Marin, an MMA fighter from Costa Rica who had a chance to go pro international, but she and her husband decided it would separate their family too much.[7]

"The Humanitarian", Bishnu Adhikari, a man from Nepal, with a degree in engineering who is the country director for Choice Humanitarian in Nepal. The organization works to improve the living situation in rural parts of Nepal.[8][9][10]

"The Candy Bomber", Gail Halvorsen.

"The Missionary Mom", Dawn Armstrong, her story is chronicled from the birth of a son when she was a teenager, abandonment by his biological father, meeting her current husband - who had both her oldest son and her deceased next oldest son sealed to him when they were married in the temple, to her oldest son leaving to serve as a mission.[11]

Release

Meet the Mormons was released on October 10, 2014, in the United States by Purdie Distribution and Excel Entertainment. The LDS Church is donating all net proceeds from the theatrical release of film to the American Red Cross.[12] Beginning January 2015, the LDS Church began showing the film in all of its visitors' centers and historical sites.[13]

Reception

Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 11% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2 out of 10.[14] Metacritic reports a score of 29/100 from published reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[15]

The film has been criticized as propaganda.[16][17] Critics felt the documentary lacked information about Mormon history,[16][17][18][19] its tenets,[18][20] and its controversies.[18][19][20][21] Producer Jeff Roberts responded to these reviews saying, "Most reviewers wanted the movie to be controversial, but we wanted to tell stories about those who make up our base."[22] Some reviewers praised the movie for its "slick" cinematography.[16][23][18]

The film grossed $2,509,808 in its opening weekend, placing it outside the top 10.[24] As of October 2015, it is listed 34th in revenue-producing documentary films.[25]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Meet the Mormons". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "LDS Church invites movie goers to "Meet the Mormons"", Daily Herald, September 17, 2014
  3. ↑ Jeffrey R. Holland. "Elder Holland introduces "Meet the Mormons"". LDS Church. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Glorious". DavidArchuleta.com. David Archuleta. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  5. ↑ Meet the Mormons spot on Sullivan
  6. ↑ Deseret News, Aug 21, 2014
  7. ↑ Meet the Mormons entry on Marin
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ 2010 Deseret News article on Adhikari receiving an award
  10. ↑ May 12, 2015 Forbes article on Adhikari
  11. ↑ Meet the Mormons profile on Armstrong
  12. ↑ Pugmire, Genelle (September 17, 2014), "Coming soon to a theater near you: 'Meet the Mormons'", The Salt Lake Tribune
  13. ↑ "News Release", MormonNewsroom.org, LDS Church, December 29, 2014 |contribution= ignored (help)
  14. ↑ "Meet the Mormons". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Meet the Mormons Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  16. 1 2 3 Moore, Roger (9 October 2014). "'Meet the Mormons': a sugarcoated introduction". The Seattle Times. (also RogersMovieNation.com version of same article)
  17. 1 2 Means, Sean P. (7 October 2014). "Review: 'Meet the Mormons' a sales pitch in the guise of a documentary". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Scheck, Frank (9 October 2014). "'Meet the Mormons': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  19. 1 2 Beifuss, John (10 October 2014). "Movie Reviews: 'I Am Ali,' 'Meet the Mormons'". The Commercial Appeal.
  20. 1 2 Kang, Inkoo (8 October 2014). "Want to Pay $14 to See a 90-Minute Commercial for Mormonism?". The Village Voice.
  21. ↑ Tsai, Martin (9 October 2014). "Review: 'Meet the Mormons' shows diverse lives, to a point". Los Angeles Times.
  22. ↑ Bond, Paul (October 13, 2014). "'Meet the Mormons' Proves the Box Office Power of Faith-Based Audiences". Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  23. ↑ VanDenburgh, Barbara (9 October 2014). "Review: We don't learn much in 'Meet the Mormons'". The Arizona Republic.
  24. ↑ Bowles, Scott (13 October 2014). "'Gone Girl' Charging To Strong Second Weekend;'Dracula' And 'Alexander' Healthy In Debuts; Saturday Box Office". Deadline.com. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  25. ↑ "Documentary: 1982-Present". Retrieved October 22, 2015.
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