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The Singles Ward franchise
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Wikipedia article
'The Singles Ward franchise' includes the original film, 'The Singles Ward' from 2002 and the 2007 sequel, 'The Singles 2nd Ward', both directed and written by Kurt Hale and John Moyer.
The Singles Ward
'The Singles Ward' is a 2002 romantic comedy film, based on Moyer's life as a stand-up comedian and single member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Like 'The R.M.', and other LDS cinema that followed it, 'The Singles Ward's target audience is members of the LDS Church and citizens of Utah. The film follows Jonathan Jordan, a recently divorced Latter-day Saint stand-up comedian who has not practiced his faith in several years, when he meets an active Latter-day Saint woman who changes his perspective.
Plot
After faithfully serving a full-time mission for the LDS Church and marrying, Jordan finds himself divorced and once again a member of the LDS single adult world. He attends a "singles ward", a congregation specifically for unmarried adults, where the ultimate goal is eternal marriage. Disenchanted, Jordan stops going to church. He even creates a standup routine lampooning the Mormon lifestyle. His resistance to the church continues until he falls for Cammie Giles, a member of the local singles ward. Suddenly, Jordan finds going to church more appealing, but is he attending church again just to impress her? During the course of the movie, Jonathan frequently breaks the fourth wall to narrate events to the audience.Credits
;Cast* Will Swenson as Jonathan Jordan
* Connie Young as Cammie Giles
* Kirby Heyborne as Dalen Martin
* Daryn Tufts as Eldon Coates
* Michael Birkeland as Hyrum
* Lincoln Hoppe as DeVerl
;Cameo appearances
A number of celebrity members of the LDS Church make appearances throughout the movie:
* Wally Joyner, a former player for five Major League Baseball teams, most notably the California Angels, as Brother Angel.
* Jeremy Hoop, starring actor in the movies 'Charly' and 'The Testaments', as an emotional reader of the book, 'Charly'.
* Danny Ainge, former NBA player and current Boston Celtics General Manager, plays a Sunbeam Teacher.
* Shawn Bradley, another former NBA player, as an auto mechanic.
* Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young as Brother Niner. The character name is a reference to Young's career as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
* LaVell Edwards, former BYU head football coach and one of the most successful college football coaches of all time, as a very serious putt-putt player.
* Julie Stoffer as herself, pictured in Rolling Stone Magazine.
* Thurl Bailey, another former NBA player.
* Ron McBride, former University of Utah head football coach, as the father of Cammie Giles.
* Late actor Gordon Jump, who was still alive at the time of the filming, and played Arthur Carlson in WKRP in Cincinnati and also played a dryer repairman in numerous Maytag commercials.
* Writer, producer, director, and actor Richard Dutcher as neighbor Wes, who knocks on the door while they are watching Dutcher's movie 'God's Army' and declines an invitation to watch it because he was offended by the "toilet scenes".
;Crew
* Kurt Hale - director
* Kurt Hale and John Moyer - writers
* Eric C. Player - script doctor
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is a collection of Latter Day Saint artists performing songs from the 'Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' and the 'Children's Songbook'. The soundtrack is on Guapo Records.* "The Church of Jesus Christ"Magstatic
* "Come, Come Ye Saints"Slender
* "There is Sunshine in My Soul Today"Ponchillo
* "Do What is Right"Mismash
* "Popcorn Popping"Rooster
* "Book of Mormon Stories"Pipe Dream
* "In Our Lovely Deseret"Mr. Fusion
* "Keep the Commandments"Mighty Mahogany
* "I Feel My Savior's Love"Mismash
* "We Are All Enlisted"Magstatic
* "Battle Hymn of the Republic" Slender
* "Let Us All Press On"Mr. Fusion
* "When Grandpa Comes"Slender
* "God Be With You Till We Meet Again"Jamen Brooks
The Singles 2nd Ward
'The Singles 2nd Ward' is the sequel to 'The Singles Ward'. The 2007 film follows Dalen (Kirby Heyborne), and his relationship with a convert named Christine (Erin Chambers).
Plot
The film follows Martin and his relationship with Christine. Martin, a young professor at Brigham Young University gets engaged to Christine, who is a student. When her divorced parents come to town for their nuptials, Dalen and Christine must maintain the peace between them while Jonathan (Will Swenson) is working on a film about his experiences in the first film.Credits
;Cast* Kirby Heyborne as Dalen Martin
* Erin Chambers as Christine
* Will Swenson as Jonathan Jordan
* Connie Young as Cammie Giles
* Daryn Tufts as Eldon Coates
* Robert Swenson as Zak
* Michael Birkeland as Hyrum
* Lisa Higbee as Jenny
* Brad Johnson as Willard
* Katherine Purdie as Laura
* Kelly Hennessey as Kate
;Cameos
* Wally Joyner as Brother Angel
Reception
In the book 'Religious Humor in Evangelical Christian and Mormon Culture', Elisha McIntyre highlighted the proposal scene between Dalen and Christine, stating that it was "a delicate balance of the serious and humorous mode."
References
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