Angus T. Cat I stumbled across "The Singles Ward" while I was channel hopping. It was being shown on a movies channel that shows mostly made for US TV flicks (I'm based in the UK). I thought, oh my, a movie about church goers! I've got to stick with this! I'm glad I did. I enjoyed "The Singles Ward" tremendously and found it very funny. People who know me might find this a bit strange since I'm Jewish, married, in my 40s, and I've never been to Utah. The film brought back memories of my college days. I minored in religion and spent a lot of time socialising along a street near our university that held churches of various dominations and the Hillel center. I went to dozens of pot luck suppers and sundae socials, getting to know the different congregations. I was also embarrassed by wanna be Travoltas giving me their best moves during interfaith dances. A lot of the film rang true for me. Many of the girls in the singles ward were exactly like my friends: sweet girls who lived together and hosted Bible studies. I knew plenty of guys like Jonathan's roommates. I loved the roommate with the piercings and the liking for car bungee jumping and the scene with the balloons. They reminded me of several of my friends who lived in the dorms and experimented with melting records by using lit cans of deodorant for a blow torch. Jonathan's soul searching after he left the girl's apartment evoked my spiritual feelings. I could identify with the pressure on Jonathan and his friends to get married and start raising families- I had a lot of pressure on me at the time to find a boy from a "nice" family (one religious but not too religious), join a synagogue, start popping out babies and get them involved in temple classes and activities straight away. Did Brigham Young really say: "If you're 25 years old and unmarried, you're a menace to society"? It sounds exactly like my mother's comments when I was in my 20s. It's good to see a movie that's positive about the search for spirituality and meaning, has a sense of humor, and doesn't shove The Right Way down the viewer's throat. I smiled when the roommates said of Jonathan's self examination, "Who are you talking to?" and "You sound like a seminary film". "The Singles Ward" isn't just for Mormon audiences. People of different backgrounds can enjoy it too. I wish it didn't end with snapshots of all the characters getting paired up- I wish it offered them more choices than the officially recommended marriage and the baby carriage. On the other hand, numerous Hollywood movies have the same kind of ending: pictures of partners for everyone (even the most obnoxious) thanks to the magic of romance and dating services.

laurence-56 As thus far the only non Mormon to comment on this movie (we saw it on cinemanow.com), this was delightful, humorous, moving, placing it above the B movie level (perhaps), though it's weakness I feel is that it bowed too much to conformity, as in reality one doubts whether Jonathan would have returned so fully to the fold.It also gives an insight to those of us on the other side of the world into a fascinating and vital culture. We noticed the reference to Franklin Planners, which through Utah guru Steven Covey has influenced many throughout the planet even after they shift to palm pilots and beyond.

tjberbaird This is a hilarious movie. Some comments that are posted refer to the movie as stereotyping...well, I guess in a way that is true, but I know people that are just like these characters in this movie. The disillusioned divorced guy, the borderline psycho chick, the day planner geek, the guy using gospel pick-up lines...etc. And really, in movies stereotyping is kinda difficult to avoid...we only get to know these people for an hour and a half. Mormon cinema is still new and poking fun at themselves is a novelty that will get old, but for now I am laughing. I thought the jokes and the characters were funny. This is fiction, but I think it is truth exaggerated.

brianakarobin Although this movie would not be nearly as funny for non-LDS, as a member who has served a mission and has been to Utah and BYU several times, I found it quite hilarious. Although the situations were certainly exaggerated, Singles Ward hits right on the mark. The movie is cheezy but funny and entertaining, using several classic Mormon stereotypes as its primary mode of comedy - the guy who says that every celebrity is a Mormon, or who is prideful in their calling, or who sounds like the inhaled helium before bearing their testimony - the list goes on. I have watched it several times, and having seen Brigham city, God's Army, and the RM, I find this the most entertaining.