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Sons of Provo
Click here to go to official site.
Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. (Matthew 15:11)
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matthew 23:28)
There is none righteous, no, not one: ...For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ...Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. (Romans 3:10, 23, and 28)
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 4:24)
 Sons of Provo is a perfect blend of The Work and the Story and The Singles Ward. This is a mockumentary of the rise, trials, and success of a boy (man) band from Provo, Utah. The band, named Everclean, is comprised of Will Jensen (Swenson), Will's brother Danny Jensen (Tarasevich), and Kirby Laybourne (Heyborne).
The film begins with Will and Danny being abandoned by a fellow band member. They begin an arduous search that leads them eventually to Kirby. Will and Danny hire a company manager, find a music producer, and hire a professional ballet instructor for their choreographer. Everclean takes off on its whirlwind tour of Utah, and gains quite a lot of popularity on their music mission.
And it certainly is a mission. This trio forms a distinctively LDS boy band. Their music is filled with moral messages imploring their listeners not to be "potty-mouths" and to keep the "Word of Wizzum" (the Word of Wisdom--the LDS dietary health code) by drinking, instead of Mountain Dew, Ovaltine to keep the body clean. Everclean follows the squeaky clean heritage of Donny and Marie, but goes even further in their unabashed LDS lyrics.
Now even though this is a very funny flick and meant for LDS to laugh at their own idiosyncrasies, the underlying message comes through loud and clear. The LDS religion is about laying down all the commandments for us to follow so that we ourselves can become morally worthy and acceptable before God. The problem, of course, that LDS fail to realize is that the standard of moral worthiness that God requires is perfection. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Mt. 5:48). LDS fool themselves if they think they can ever reach this by their own worthiness, and they even fail to take account of their own scriptures that tell them they've only got this life to repent by denying themselves all ungodliness (Alma 11:37; 34:32-35; Moroni 10:32; and D&C 25:15-16). This point was reinforced by LDS past Prophet and President Spencer W. Kimball when he said that genuine repentance is abandoning the sin; it's not simply trying one's best (The Miracle of Forgiveness, 163-165).
For more on the Sons of Provo, see here, here, and here.
R. M. Sivulka
Salt Lake City, UT
February 9, 2005
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