There is nothing remotely believable in this schmaltz memoir of the early missionary days of a young Mormon who was assigned to the remote south sea island of Tonga in 1953. From the opening scene at a Brigham Young University dance where all the bobby soxers swing in perfectly choreographed syncopation right through the final shots of picture-postcard South Pacific sunsets there is not an ounce of authenticity.
Based on some true events and real people, the standard disclaimer at the end that some events have been dramatized made me laugh out loud. It is not only that the young Elder Groberg evidentially recalls himself as a savior with an inside track to the favors of God (he prays all night over a young island boy near death from an accident and viola! in the morning the boy is well). That he was apparently pulled out of school in the middle of his studies and ordered by the church authorities to this remote island is one the multitude of leaps of logic in this story. He was told to learn the language and take charge of the souls on this island. Instead, all the natives are speaking fluent English after just a couple of months. Guess he forgot his orders to learn the language.
He and his two loyal councils (converted natives) survive a tempest at sea with a wave to rival the fatal one in "The Perfect Storm." However, here they are washed up on a handy sundrenched beach. After the storm, we see John's girl friend, Jean, back home awakening in luscious designer bed linens in a heavenly bedroom. In Idaho? In 1954? So unreal was this that I thought they had all perished in the storm and were together in an otherworldly paradise. But no, simply this cinematic version of it right here on earth.
No doubt, we all color the happy times of the past to seem better than it was, but the myopic view of director writer Mitch Davis is so one dimensional that these people have no humanity. They do however always have a shirt, tie and tie clip even after going through a hurricane. This film is by no means alone in its unrealistic portrayal of the Hollywood version of life, but its agenda is so unmistakable it makes one wince.
The high production values in this bit of unabashed propaganda may give it an air of trustworthiness to some but it's total transparency shines through. This movie takes itself so seriously that its audience can only be those who are similarly biased aka, preaching to the converted. The farewell scene with all the islanders, fat and happy waving goodbye is just too much.
DVD