The R.M.

Last updated
The R.M.
The R.M. poster.jpg
Directed by Kurt Hale
Written by Kurt Hale,
John E. Moyer
Produced by Dave Hunter
Starring Kirby Heyborne,
Daryn Tufts,
Will Swenson,
Britani Bateman,
Tracy Ann Evans,
Merrill Dodge,
Michael Birkeland,
Maren Ord
Gary Crowton
Cinematography Ryan Little
Music by Cody Hale
Distributed by Halestorm Entertainment
Release date
  • January 31, 2003 (2003-01-31)
Running time
101 min.
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000
Box office$1,111,615

The R.M. is a 2003 comedy film about the experiences of a returned missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). "RM" is an LDS initialism for "returned missionary". It was written by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer and directed by Hale.

Contents

Plot

Jared Phelps returns home from his mission in Wyoming to find a world very different from the one he left two years previously.

This movie opens with a send-off at the airport full of family and friends of Elder Phelps. He serves a two-year mission in the Wyoming Evanston South Mission. The opening credits are shown by using instant photographs. They also show Elder Phelps going from a "greenie" (new missionary), to district leader, to zone leader and finally to an assistant to the mission president.

Returning home, things do not go so well. His parents thought that he was coming home the following month, so no one is there to meet him at the airport. He did not receive the letter that his family had moved, so he is surprised by the greeting of the new homeowner in the form of a karate kick while he is in the shower. (He later refers to this as being "Kung-fued by a naked ninja".) His bed is now occupied by a foreign exchange student from Tonga. When he is reunited with his parents, he discovers his mother is pregnant. Jared's girlfriend, who promised to wait for him to return, is getting married in two weeks. The jewelry store where he bought the ring will not take it back. And his former employer who promised to give him a job on his return has sold the business and started an Internet enterprise and the only job opening is to mine diamonds in South Africa.

Things become worse from there. He is rejected from Brigham Young University (BYU). He quickly goes through a series of jobs and even considers selling knives. He develops a romantic relationship with Kelly, the daughter of H. Ronald Powers, a general authority who, to his embarrassment, he is unfamiliar with (despite the fact that he gave a "great talk" last October in general conference, to which everyone seems to refer). While Jared is on a date with Kelly, his mother goes into labor and has a boy. He also has boils and eventually is arrested due to the actions of a friend. Because of the arrest, he is fired from his job and released from his church calling as elders quorum president. He has to seriously consider whether to lie and keep him and his friend out of jail, or to tell the truth and send himself and/or his friend to jail. In the end, he decides to tell the truth, and is ultimately cleared of all charges, but his friend must face some time in jail.

Later, Jared gives a talk at church about how his mission blessed his life in ways he did not expect. He decides to take night classes and reapply for BYU in the fall. After some time dating Kelly, the two are seen in a jewelry shop to exchange Jared's old ring for a new one, as they are now engaged.

Selected credits

Cast

Crew

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 64% based on 11 reviews. [1] The Salt Lake City based newspaper Deseret News gave a negative review of the film saying it tried to do too much with some awful local celebrity cameos. [2] Variety gave a more positive review describing it as "Good natured and innocuously wholesome". [3] Movieguide gave it a negative review from a religious perspective, giving the film a -4, the lowest score, on its acceptability rating indicating gross immorality or worldview problems. [4] The film grossed a total of $1.1 million and made $130,352 on its opening weekend. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey R. Holland</span> American educator and religious leader (born 1940)

Jeffrey Roy Holland is an American educator and religious leader. He served as the ninth president of Brigham Young University (BYU) and is the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Holland is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the third most senior apostle in the church.

Robert Dean Hales was an American businessman and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1994 until his death. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Hales was accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. At the time of his death he was the fifth most senior apostle in the church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missionary Training Center</span> Religious training centers operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Missionary Training Centers (MTC) are centers devoted to training missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The flagship MTC is located in Provo, Utah, adjacent to the campus of Brigham Young University (BYU), a private university owned and operated by the church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LeGrand Richards</span>

LeGrand Richards was a prominent missionary and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as the seventh presiding bishop of the LDS Church from 1938 to 1952, and was then called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by church president David O. McKay. Richards served in the Quorum of the Twelve until his death in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 96.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mormon cinema</span> Films with themes surrounding Mormonism

Mormon cinema usually refers to films with themes relevant to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The term has also been used to refer to films that do not necessarily reflect Mormon themes but have been made by Mormon filmmakers. Films within the realm of Mormon cinema may be distinguished from institutional films produced by the LDS Church, such as Legacy and Testaments, which are made for instructional or proselyting purposes and are non-commercial. Mormon cinema is produced mainly for the purposes of entertainment and potential financial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mormon missionary</span> Missionary of the LDS church

Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints —widely known as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and community service. Missionaries of the LDS Church may be male or female and may serve on a full- or part-time basis, depending on the assignment. Missionaries are organized geographically into missions, which could be any one of the 411 missions organized worldwide. This is one of the practices that the LDS Church is well-known for.

Merrill Joseph Bateman is an American religious leader who was the 11th president of Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1996 to 2003. He is an emeritus general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was the LDS Church's 12th presiding bishop in 1994 and 1995. Bateman was the Sunday School General President of the LDS Church from 2003 to 2004, a member of the Church's Presidency of the Seventy from 2003 to 2007, and the president of the Provo Utah Temple from 2007 to 2010.

John Moyer is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor and film producer. Moyer co-wrote the screenplays for The Singles Ward, The R.M., and The Home Teachers. He also wrote, produced, directed, and acted in Mobsters and Mormons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Thomas Fyans</span> American Mormon leader

John Thomas Fyans was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1974 until his death.

John Richard Clarke was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1976 until his death. He has been a member of the church's presiding bishopric and a member of the Presidency of the Seventy.

The Home Teachers is a 2004 comedy film written by John Moyer and directed by Kurt Hale. The Home Teachers is a comedy distributed by Halestorm Entertainment and intended for LDS audiences, or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulisses Soares</span> Brazilian Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Ulisses Soares is a Brazilian religious leader and former businessman who serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has been a general authority since 2005 and served as a member of the church's Presidency of the Seventy from January 2013 until his calling to the Quorum of the Twelve in March 2018. He is the LDS Church's first apostle from South America. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Soares is accepted by the LDS Church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the church.

Emanuel Abu Kissi is a Ghanaian medical doctor, founder of a medical clinic, and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was originally one of only a few black Africans to have served as an area seventy in the church. He was the official head of the LDS Church in Ghana during its "freeze" in 1989–90, and has worked extensively to increase interfaith relationships in Ghana.

Spencer Joel Condie has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1989. Condie previously worked as a professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) and also served as a mission president for the LDS Church in Eastern Europe. In 2010, he was designated as an emeritus general authority.

Daniel Hansen Ludlow was a professor of religion at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. He was also the chief editor of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, published in 1992 by Macmillan.

Elwin Dale LeBaron was a Canadian scholar of the Latter Day Saint movement and a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University (BYU). He is known for his work on the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Africa, where he served as mission president when the 1978 Revelation on Priesthood was announced and compiled hundreds of interviews from African locals.

Michael Tally Ringwood has been a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerrit W. Gong</span> Leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first leader of Asian descent

Gerrit Walter Gong is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has been a general authority since 2010 and served as a member of the church's Presidency of the Seventy from October 2015 until his calling to the Quorum of the Twelve in March 2018. He is the LDS Church's first apostle of Asian descent. Prior to becoming a general authority, he served as assistant to the president of Brigham Young University (BYU) for planning and assessment. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Gong is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the thirteenth most senior apostle in the church.

Paul Kay Sybrowsky was the president of Southern Virginia University (SVU) from June 1, 2012 until August 31, 2014. He was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2005 until 2011. He also served as a commissioner of the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and chairman of the board of trustees of Utah Valley University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Romania</span> Christian religious group

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Romania refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Romania. A small branch was formed in Bucharest in 1991. In 2022, there were 3,082 members in 15 congregations.

References

  1. ↑ "The R.M. (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  2. ↑ "Film review: R.M., The". Deseret News . Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  3. ↑ "The R.M." Variety . Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  4. ↑ "The R.M." Movieguide . Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "The R.M." Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 4 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.