The Best Two Years

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The Best Two Years

Directed by	Scott S. Anderson
Produced by	Michael Flynn
Written by	Geoffrey Panos, Matt Whitaker
Starring	K.C. Clyde, Kirby Heyborne, David Nibley, Cameron Hopkin, Scott Christopher, Michael Flynn
Music by	John Batdorf, Michael McLean, Scott McLean
Distributed by	Halestorm Entertainment
Release date(s)	2003
Running time	112 min.
Language	English
Budget	USD$400,000
IMDb profile

The Best Two Years is a 2003 film written and directed by Scott S. Anderson. It is based on the stage play The Best Two Years of My Life, also by Anderson. It portrays the experience of four LDS missionaries living in the same apartment in the Holland region of the Netherlands. The stage play had one setting, the apartment of the missionaries. The movie does expand upon the play's setting, with some filming taking place in the Netherlands, but much of the movie still takes place in the apartment.

The writer perceives this movie as a comedy. Others, like the producer, Michael Flynn, see this movie as a drama. The movie has elements of both.

[edit] Featured cast

K.C. Clyde as Elder John Rogers
Kirby Heyborne as Elder Hezekiah Calhoun
David Nibley as Elder Emmit Johnson
Cameron Hopkin as Elder Steven Van Pelt
Scott Christopher as Kyle Harrison
Michael Flynn as President Sandburg (and producer)

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Best Two Years portrays the experience of four missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in the same apartment in the Holland region of the Netherlands. The movie begins with Elder Rogers finding out that his new companion will be a "greenie", a newly trained missionary fresh from the Missionary Training Center. He and the other two missionaries that reside in the same apartment, Elder Johnson and Elder Van Pelt, go to the train station to meet the new elder. Elder Rogers finds out that the new missionary, Elder Calhoun, is exactly what he imagines a new missionary would be like.

Elder Rogers used to be an excellent missionary, until his girlfriend married one of his former mission companions. That is why he and the other two missionaries residing in the same apartment are surprised that the mission president has assigned him to be the trainer (first companion and mentor) to a missionary new to the mission.

The new missionary, Elder Calhoun, tackles mission work with unbounded enthusiasm. He will try to talk to anyone even though he barely knows the Dutch language. 'Barely' is an understatement, since he doesn't know how to speak Dutch, nor does he understand it when someone speaks Dutch to him. But that doesn't stop him from trying.

Fortunately for him, he soon encounters a man from the United States that speaks English. They speak briefly in the park before the man goes off with his girlfriend. Later, when he encounters the same man in a market, Calhoun gives him a Dutch Book of Mormon with his telephone number. Despite what the other three missionaries expect, the man does call and asks for Calhoun.

The man doesn't want to meet the missionaries in his own apartment because his roommates wouldn't understand. The missionaries arrange for him to meet them in their apartment. When he tries to give back the Book of Mormon because he doesn't read Dutch, they promptly give him one in English. Despite his obvious desire to leave immediately, the missionaries find out his name (Kyle Harrison) and teach him a discussion (short lesson) about Joseph Smith and Joseph's First Vision. Afterwards, Kyle would truly like to know more, so the missionaries schedule another discussion.

Tension has been building throughout the entire movie between Elder Johnson and Elder Van Pelt. Earlier, Johnson had received an audio tape from his girlfriend. He hasn't been able to play the tape for several days because Van Pelt had lent their tape player to a ward member. Also, Van Pelt is annoyed by Johnson's repeated use of the word "flip", as a mild substitute for any of a number of profane words. This tension culminates outside of the missionary apartment just as Kyle is leaving from his first discussion. Kyle is on his way out of the door as Van Pelt enters, followed shortly by Johnson. He has just hogtied Van Pelt with a rope when the mission president arrives in the apartment.

President Sandburg gives Johnson and Van Pelt a mild, but appropriate and effective, reprimand for their misbehavior. (Prescriptions were respectively Matthew 5:38-39 and 2 Nephi 9:42.) He... commends... Elder Calhoun on his Dutch, gently reprimands Rogers for not having written letters to his mother for a while, and persuades him to send at least one letter a week home for the remainder of his mission.

On his way out, President Sandburg remembers something else and says, "Flip!" Van Pelt must be physically restrained by Johnson.

The second discussion with Kyle is followed by several more, again in the missionaries' apartment. He does decide to be become a member of the Church. The baptism is scheduled for the Saturday just over a week from then. Kyle chooses Rogers to baptize him, to the great surprise of Rogers.

The baptism takes place in a river as scheduled, on the same day that Rogers is leaving for home. There are long good-byes at the train station. And in the station, with Rogers looking on from the train, Calhoun finally understands and speaks Dutch well.