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
Running time
 78 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Box office $5,883,132[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]

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.[5] Beginning January 2015, the LDS Church began showing the film in all of its visitors' centers and historical sites.[6]

Reception

The film holds an 11% critics' rating at Rotten Tomatoes with nine reviews.[7] Metacritic reports a score of 29/100 from published reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[8]

The film has been criticized as propaganda.[9][10] While praised for its "slick" cinematography,[9][11][12] critics felt the documentary lacked information about Mormon history,[9][10][12][13] its tenets,[12][14] and its controversies.[12][13][14][15]

The film grossed $2,509,808 in its opening weekend, placing it outside the top 10.[16] As of January 2015, it is listed 31st in revenue-producing documentary films.[17][18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Meet the Mormons". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "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. ↑ Pugmire, Genelle (September 17, 2014), "Coming soon to a theater near you: 'Meet the Mormons'", The Salt Lake Tribune
  6. ↑ "News Release", MormonNewsroom.org (LDS Church), December 29, 2014 |chapter= ignored (help)
  7. ↑ "Meet the Mormons". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Meet the Mormons Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Moore, Roger (9 October 2014). "'Meet the Mormons': a sugarcoated introduction". The Seattle Times. (also RogersMovieNation.com version of same article)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Means, Sean P. (7 October 2014). "Review: 'Meet the Mormons' a sales pitch in the guise of a documentary". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  11. ↑ VanDenburgh, Barbara (9 October 2014). "Review: We don't learn much in 'Meet the Mormons'". The Arizona Republic.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Scheck, Frank (9 October 2014). "'Meet the Mormons': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Beifuss, John (10 October 2014). "Movie Reviews: ‘I Am Ali,' ‘Meet the Mormons'". The Commercial Appeal.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Kang, Inkoo (8 October 2014). "Want to Pay $14 to See a 90-Minute Commercial for Mormonism?". The Village Voice.
  15. ↑ Tsai, Martin (9 October 2014). "Review: 'Meet the Mormons' shows diverse lives, to a point". Los Angeles Times.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=documentary.htm
  18. ↑ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/meet-mormons-proves-box-office-740471

External links