Until Tuesday I had never consciously seen or heard Saturday’s Warrior (my mother may have played it to me while I was in the womb…). But since I was attending the premiere of the 2016 film and like to understand where things come from, I subjected myself to the 1989 filmed stage version (available on YouTube if you’ve lost your nostalgia-ridden VHS tape) and will never watch it again. Now, on to the new film.
It’s cheesy. I mean, musicals tend to be cheesy. Mormon movies are often cheesy. The ‘70s are cheesy. So, if you roll all those things into one you’re smothering your film in cheese. There were some technical problems (the heads of characters were frequently cut out of the shot, the audio mixing for the music was funky, the lipsynching was like something out of a low-budget music video, extras frequently looked like they wore what a sheltered ‘90s Mormon kid thinks hippies wore) and some of the performances were rough (Kenny Holland makes his film debut here and has some fantastic moments, but is still learning the ropes).
Michael Buster (the director and one of the script-writers) stated that they didn’t include cameos from earlier cast members because it would have made the film gimmicky. The film does however call for “Captain Uchtdorf” in one of the airport scenes and features Steven Sharp Nelson playing cello in a park to be joined by none other than Jon Schmidt on a grand piano. If that’s not gimmicky, I don’t know what is. However, these inclusions added to the overwhelming Mormon-ness of the film and I think fit right in with the tone that was established.
Now, with all these problems and the cheesiness, you’d think I would hate it. But no. There was an earnestness about the film that made it endearing. Maybe it was sitting in a theater filled with people who largely did have some nostalgic connection to the film, singing along to the songs under their breath. There was an energy in the theater that I don’t think I’ve ever felt in a film before. It was like tapping into some joyful cultural Mormon zeitgeist and sharing that joy with others.
Did I mock it with those next to me? You bet I did. But it was the sort of playful, loving mocking that I reserve for family and close friends. And I teared up a little. Maybe that’s because I’m a mildly prodigal son. Maybe because my cousin died tragically young in a car accident earlier this year. Maybe because my dad loves me, but yelled sometimes. I knew it wanted me to feel emotional and I knew it was cheesy and silly. I tried to fight it, but it got me anyway, even in the midst of my playful mockery.
The film seemed to capture the tone of “In Our Lovely Deseret.” A hymn that I love, but everything tells me I should hate. There’s something about the earnest cheesiness of that hymn and Saturday’s Warrior that I love to mock, but is delightful. For many it will probably just be painfully cheesy. For others it will be propaganda for the false doctrine of soul mates. But if you love “In Our Lovely Deseret” (or have strong nostalgic love for the stage show), this may be the film for you, the few, the warriors saved for Saturday.