Dennis Buckstead has the hardest calling in his church. Not only has he been asked to coach a group of non-basketball players in his church but the bishop has demanded that he lead the team to the Basketball Championship. Word from the top is that this is the last season of church ball and Bishop Linderman isn't about to have his team lose for the 20th year in a row in the last season of church ball history! What was supposed to strengthen the body, invigorate the mind and cultivate brotherly love seems to bring out the worst in these church-going ball players. Dennis must find a way to bring his team together and build unity along the way to win the championship or go down in church ball history as the worst team that ever played.

Let me give you some background information, I live in Utah and am not of the LDS/Mormon belief even though I am familiar with it and Church Ball was the first Mormon produced movie I have ever seen. There is a reason I don’t see most of these movies and its not because I doubt think they could be any good or that I am worried they will be too preachy it’s because they are produced by and for those of the Mormon faith. What does that mean, it’s means they are chock full of inside jokes and scenarios most of us won’t get or aren’t familiar with because honestly they are really not entirely meant for us. So why did I see Church Ball then, it simple, it’s because I have played Church Ball, it’s one of those activities and scenarios I am familiar with so I knew I could get a lot of inside jokes. The joke is and its true for all those who have played Church Ball is that you couldn’t find a rougher game to play even if you tried to get a pick up game in Baghdad. The rule when we played was if there wasn’t blood on the ball at the end of the game it wasn’t a good game. So that’s the concept of the movie and the movie is mildly funny and entertaining but that’s about it.

Where did the movie go wrong then, why is the roughest game on earth not more funny it’s because the movie is produced by and for Mormons. What you say, let me make this straight to you Church Ball is the most unreligious, violent game in the universe and censoring it so it can be viewed by a religious group ruins the concept. There was no blood in the movie and I personally have bled playing Church Ball. There was some cursing but all of it was bleeped out, trust me there is cursing in Church Ball and it isn’t just that one inactive/non member guy like me who is doing it, its almost universal. So by being a movie produced by the Church for Church members the movie can’t fully make the concept of the movie real and it fails at it. It is funny but not as funny as a non Church going producer might have made it. You need the violence, you need the cursing, you need the blood no game of Church Ball is complete without not to mention the movie falls prey to every sports cliché you can think of in the end.

I was sad that they misused Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the movie he could have been hilarious sky hooking on a bunch of Church Ballers. He ends up playing a role that the movie didn’t really need or utilize that of the wise monk, elderly soul giving advice but not participating. Gary Coleman is another actor that wasn’t used to his full potential, I mean c’mon its freaking Gary Coleman have him with some mad basketball skills dunking on people or something instead of the silly joke of the midget with tall children and why couldn’t his kids play, I remember playing Church Ball when I was sixteen. Andrew Wilson is your smalltime actor that does an ok job in movies but when he is in movie it is clear your not going to be getting a star packed performance. This goes for almost all the actors, all the big names they got even Hot Rod (yes I am Jazz fan and am very familiar with the Voice of the Jazz but is anyone else outside Utah going to get this reference) are vastly underused or miscast. Its like they came up with this funny concept which is not really concept being its very real but then had no idea how to use it except to fall on the old sport movies clichés, failing utterly for anyone who hasn’t played Church Ball. It has its funny moments and it had potential but sadly the movie fell flat.

Grade: C