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 Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film, based on Moyer's life as a stand-up comedian and single member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(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 Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

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 Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

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 Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. 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 The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

to narrate events to the audience.

Credits

;Cast * Will Swenson as Jonathan Jordan *

Connie Young Connie Young (born 1974) is an American actress. She is known for playing Peggy Barlett in ''Read It and Weep'' and Cammie Giles in ''The Singles Ward''. She reprised the role of Cammie in ''The Singles 2nd Ward''. She also appeared in ''Sons of ...

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 Wallace Keith Joyner (born June 16, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player. He played for four major league teams during a 16-year career, most notably for the California Angels, for whom he was an All-Star. He was a member of ...

, a former player for five

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

teams, most notably the California Angels, as Brother Angel. * Jeremy Hoop, starring actor in the movies ''Charly'' and ''

The Testaments ''The Testaments'' is a 2019 novel by Margaret Atwood. It is the sequel to ''The Handmaid's Tale'' (1985). The novel is set 15 years after the events of ''The Handmaid's Tale''. It is narrated by Aunt Lydia, a character from the previous novel; A ...

'', as an emotional reader of the book, ''Charly''. *

Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and former professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-s ...

, former NBA player and current Boston Celtics General Manager, plays a Sunbeam Teacher. *

Shawn Bradley Shawn Paul Bradley (born March 22, 1972) is a German-American former professional basketball player who played center for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the ...

, another former NBA player, as an auto mechanic. *

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

Steve Young Jon Steven Young (born October 11, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccane ...

as Brother Niner. The character name is a reference to Young's career as a quarterback for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. *

LaVell Edwards Reuben LaVell Edwards (October 11, 1930 – December 29, 2016) was an American football head coach for Brigham Young University (BYU). With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time. Among ...

, 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 Thurl is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Thurl Bailey (born 1961), American basketball player * Thurl Ravenscroft Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (; February 6, 1914May 22, 2005) was an American actor and bass singer. He was kn ...

, another former NBA player. *

Ron McBride Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

, former University of Utah head football coach, as the father of Cammie Giles. * Late actor

Gordon Jump Alexander Gordon Jump (April 1, 1932 – September 22, 2003) was an American actor best known as the clueless, yet occasionally wise, radio station manager Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson in the TV series ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' and the incompetent Ch ...

, 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 Richard Alan Dutcher (born 1964)Click "Biography" in the bottom-left of this web site: is an American independent filmmaker who produces, writes, directs, edits, and frequently stars in his films. After making '' God's Army'', a successful 2000 ...

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 Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

* 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 The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

* "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 Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

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 *

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 *

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

External links

* *
Infants on Thrones podcast review of the movie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singles Ward, The 2002 films 2002 romantic comedy films Mormon cinema Films shot in Utah Halestorm Entertainment films 2000s English-language films