By Joseph Ghiz
With a more accurate depiction of missionary life than previous films, 'The Best Two Years' seems to be the first movie that does not exaggerate mormon culture.
The story begins with Elder Rogers (KC Clyde) serving reluctantly in the last two months of his mission in Holland. Because of his laziness, Rogers'' drill sergeant-like mission president gives him the assignment to train a new missionary in hopes of boosting his morale.
Rogers shares his apartment with the stereotypical characters one expects to be in movie about missionary life. There is the aspiring missionary who wants all the leadership, his humble companion who loves everybody, and of course, the greenie missionary, played by Kirby Heyborne, who can''t speak a word of Dutch.
Surprisingly, Heyborne does not overact in the role of Elder Calhoun, like he did in last year''s 'The RM.' His portrayal of a humble recent-convert-turned-missionary from the South is where the heart of this movie lies. After Calhoun meets his trainer, Rogers, it becomes easy to predict where the story will go.
Although the audience can count on Calhoun''s example softening the heart of Rogers, it is still fun to watch the story unfold.
The interaction between Heyborne''s character and Clyde''s character reaches some funny and touching points throughout the story. In fact, it is the subtleties, rather than the obvious jokes, throughout the story that make this film funny.
In one scene, Calhoun''s anticipation as he prepares to talk to a stranger about The Book of Mormon is much funnier than when he actually does.
Even though Heyborne''s scenes steal the show, there is surprisingly touching moments with Clyde''s character Rogers. The best example of these moments is when he rebuilds his testimony, in a believable way, through someone they are teaching. These scenes are what keep the audience watching to the end.
'The Best Two Years' was adapted from a play that the director of the film, Scott Anderson, wrote over 20 years ago. Because the story was written for the stage originally, most of the film takes place in the missionary''s apartment, though there are some outdoor scenes that were actually shot in Holland.
The story carries on smoothly with a few subplots with the other two missionaries in the apartment. The inside jokes that only Mormons will understand are actually funny at times. The experience''s they have on their mission are realistic and believable.
Michael McLean provided original songs for the film and fans of his work will appreciate his familiar style throughout the film.
'The Best Two Years' might appear to be just another mormon movie, but the characters and the story''s honesty make this film better than its predecessors.