Movie Review: Suits on the Loose.

I just watched the "Suits on the Loose" DVD.

It's one of the better Mormon movies. There are four big names playing in the Movie. Character actors Robert Prosky as a bishop, Charles Napier, and Reginald VelJohnson. Also appearing is actor Fred Dryer as a senator.

Also features character actor Shaun Weiss, known for his role as the goalie in Mighty Ducks (Hat tip to Brett) as one of the hapless missionaries who gets their car stolen by the boot-camp escapees. His interpretation of a missionary is a bit over-the-top, but he and Jason Winer, the other "real" missionary, must have had some good coaching from the director.

There's some corny parts, some maudlin parts, and some good "trading places" kind of humor. There's no church-bashing. Some of the funniest parts are where the two "boot camp" escapees are trying to pretend to be Mormon missionaries. It does borrow the theme of mistaken identity from other movies. The writers/director did a good job of melding that theme into a Mormon missionary setting.

Seeing the one escapee whose character had a Southern Baptist background try to adapt what he thinks about church people into the Mormon paradigm provided some good belly laughs.

You don't have to be LDS to appreciate this movie. Fred Dryer had some really good praise for the movie in one of the DVD extras. But LDS members, especially pre-raise-the-bar returned missionares, will get the full humor effects and some of the inside humor.

The movie can be appreciated on several levels. It's rated PG, but I'd think it would be suitable for all but the smallest children. There is a bar scene with pool playing and drinking, and one fist-fight scene. As is predictable, the good guys win, and the "bad guys" get converted.

See it with your non-member friends and explain the inside humor.