The R.M.

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The R.M.

Directed by	Kurt Hale
Produced by	Dave Hunter
Written by	Kurt Hale, John E. Moyer
Starring	Kirby Heyborne, Daryn Tufts, Will Swenson, Britani Bateman, Tracy Ann Evans, Merrill Dodge, Michael Birkeland, Maren Ord
Music by	Cody Hale
Distributed by	Halestorm Entertainment
Release date(s)	2003
Running time	101 min.
Language	English
Budget	$500,000
IMDb profile

The R.M. is a 2003 comedy film about the experiences of an LDS returned missionary. "RM" is an LDS initialism for "return missionary." It is one of the new line of LDS comedy films by Kurt Hale and John E. Moyer.

1 Overview
2 Plot
3 Selected credits
- 3.1 Cast
- 3.2 Crew
4 Trivia
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Overview

The RM is very LDS-centric and generally meant to appeal to an LDS audience. Most non-LDS viewers would not understand the numerous references and satires of the LDS—and Utah—sub-culture.

[edit] Plot

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

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

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.

Upon returning home, things don't 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 didn't 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. His bed is now occupied by a foreign exchange student from Tonga. 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 won't take it back. And his former employer who promised to give him a job upon his return has sold the business and started an Internet enterprise and the only job opening is to mine diamonds in South Africa.

Things get worse from there. He quickly goes through a series of jobs, and even considers selling knives. He also gets boils, and eventually gets arrested due to the actions of a friend. Because of the arrest, he is 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.

The audience is treated to a heavy dose of the Utah-Mormon subculture as Jared struggles to get back on his feet and adapt to post-mission life. There are ups as well as the downs. It eventually ends on a positive note.

[edit] Selected credits

[edit] Cast

Kirby Heyborne, Jared Phelps
Britani Bateman, Kelly Powers
Will Swenson, Kori Swenson
Gary Crowton, Bishop Andrews
Fred Derbyshire, Crazy grandpa
Wally Joyner, Brother Jensen

[edit] Crew

Kurt Hale, director
Kurt Hale & John E. Moyer, writing

[edit] Trivia

When Jared Phelps' ex-girlfriend shows him the wedding announcement, he notices that the man's name is Kirby. He says, "Kirby! That's a vacuum cleaner!" Kirby Heyborne plays Jared Phelps.
The Tongan foreign exchange student's name (Humuhumunukunukuapua'a) is actually the name of the Hawai'i State Fish.
Because Evanston, Wyoming is such a small city it does not have a south mission. In fact the entire city is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah mission.
When Jared puts up a poster to sell his wedding ring, his phone number is 867-5309, a popular song from the Eighties. Kurt Hale's previous film, The Singles Ward, also employed this number.
Former BYU head coach Gary Crowton made an appearance as Jared's old boss.