God's Army (2000)

God’s Army: Directed by Richard Dutcher. With Matthew A. Brown, Richard Dutcher, Jacque Gray, Jeffrey Scott Kelly. Life as a Mormon missionary isn’t what 19-year-old Brandon Allen expected: so many rules and so few successes. Los Angeles is as unrepentant as Sodom and Gomorrah. He’s forced to share a small apartment with five young prank-loving missionaries and, to top it off, his first companion, 29-year-old Marcus Dalton, proves to be a harsh mentor. After only one day as a missionary, Allen is ready to hang up his necktie and go home. His point-of-view changes, however, as he begins to see the struggles and sacrifices that the other missionaries endure: Dalton, he soon learns, is fighting a losing battle with cancer. Banks, an African-American missionary, was disowned by his family when he joined the Mormon church. Kinegar, a fifth-generation Latter-Day Saint, finds himself doubting under the intellectual attacks of anti-Mormons. Working and living with these young men, Allen becomes a part of the drama occurring under the everyday surface of missionary life. After only a few intense days, Allen finds faith he didn’t know he had, and courage he didn’t know he lacked. He learns that the time has come to put away childish things, and to become more than just a man–to become a man of God.

“If there was ever a movie that accurately described LDS missionary life, itu0026#39;s this one. One of the reasons that I liked this movie, is because I could identify with a lot of the experiences, i.e. The pictures on the toilet, the cockroach family tree, etc. I could also identify with the times that he didnu0026#39;t want to be on his mission. There were plenty of those times for me. As an LDS missionary I definitely could appreciate the attitude of the movie. Some people say that it offends them, and it doesnu0026#39;t accurately portray LDS missionaries, but having been on one myself, It does.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLDS missionaries arenu0026#39;t all about being strict and serious 24/7. They are out to share their beliefs with others who want to know, because they believe it as well. I admire Richard Dutcher for taking a stand and being the first to produce a movie that tells the public what missionaries do, and what they go through. Heu0026#39;s opened a whole new world to movie-goers.”