Richard Dutcher, a prominent LDS filmmaker, has stated that all the satires and comedies which have been pouring forth into the market are a disservice to the LDS faith. Oh, I beg to disagree. There is room for everything and everyone. Who can’t appreciate the richness of “Singles Ward?” There was a stereotype for each person in the ward in that film. As my sister and I watched it, the viewing experience was constantly interspersed with, “Oh, that’s so-and-so, or that’s exactly what so-and-so was like.” Isn’t that what satire is all about? Pointing out the idiocies that exist within society.
If there’s no room for “Singles Ward,” “The R.M.” or “The Best Two Years of My Life” and many others, we’d be left with Saints and Soldiers, which is fantastic, or the offerings of Richard Dutcher. No, I’m not really a big fan of his work, but he is the one that started this whole thing with “God’s Army,” so what’s he complaining about?
I love to laugh. Laughing is good for your health, spirit and emotions – and it feels good too. It plays a necessary role in a society that is a pressure cooker waiting to explode. Good grief, if there’s no room for satire in the market, then we would have been deprived of Robert Kirby in the literary field. How sad would that have been? If there’s no room for satire, then Johnny B wouldn’t have a job. (Hey, I think he’s funny.) So to all these other LDS filmmakers, go for it. Improve your craft, work hard and continue giving us movies that make us laugh. We’re really just laughing at ourselves anyway. We appreciate your efforts.
So Richard, lighten up and let these other filmmakers alone. I happen to enjoy their work.