Baptists at our Barbecue (2004)

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A forest ranger stumbles into a den of eccentrics when he takes a job in a small town in this Mormon-themed comedy. Tartan Jones (Dan Merkley) is a 29-year-old man trained as a forest ranger who lives in Provo, UT, but is eager to get away, mainly so his friends and relatives will stop trying to fix… More A forest ranger stumbles into a den of eccentrics when he takes a job in a small town in this Mormon-themed comedy. Tartan Jones (Dan Merkley) is a 29-year-old man trained as a forest ranger who lives in Provo, UT, but is eager to get away, mainly so his friends and relatives will stop trying to fix him up with a "nice" girl, especially his mother (Jan Broberg Felt). Jones takes a job in a small town in the Southwest called Longfellow, though the locals prefer to call it Longwinded. Longfellow is home to 524 people -- 262 Mormons and 262 Baptists, a matter that has inspired no small amount of lively debate and less than friendly rivalry among the townsfolk over the years. Jones' membership in the Church of Latter Day Saints becomes a matter of contention when it's learned he's the "tiebreaker" who finally gives the Mormons a numerical advantage over the Baptists. Jones attempts to broker peace between both sides by staging an "all faith barbecue" for the entire community, but getting everyone involved to eat a burger together turns out to be a lot more difficult than expected. Making matters all the more complicated for Jones is Charity Hall (Heather Beers), an attractive woman who has arrived in town following a bad breakup with her boyfriend; she seems to like Jones but would prefer to stay out of Longfellow's religious debate altogether, perhaps wisely. Baptists at Our Barbecue was based on the comic novel of the same name by Mormon author Robert Farrell Smith. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi