The Singles 2nd Ward is a 2007 LDSromantic comedy film, directed by Kurt Hale. Like The Singles Ward, and the films which followed it, its target audience is members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and citizens of Utah. As such, references to and parodies of the Mormon and Utah subcultures pervade the film and are unlikely to be understood by outsiders. However, the film provides a view into the sometimes strange world of the Mormon culture. The original cast returns for this sequel. Dalen has finally met the girl of his dreams. Christine is everything Dalen has ever wanted: sweet, simple, and devoted to the gospel. Too bad his future in-laws are anything but.
Plot
Dalen, now a college professor of Mormon mythology, has almost given up on finding an eternal companion in his current singles ward, as scores of his friends around him get married or already have several children. His hopes are renewed when Christine moves into the ward, and they fall in love; love at first sight in Dalen's case. Christine's parents are very wealthy non-members who have each been married a few times. Trouble arises when they tell Christine's parents about their marriage plans because Christine's parents can't understand why they're not permitted to attend their daughter's wedding in the LDS Temple. Dalen actually withdraws his proposal to Christine in order to avoid causing a rift in her family. Later, however, Dalen visits Christine's father and explains to him the importance of temple marriage, and he gives Dalen his blessing. Christine and Dalen's wedding goes as planned. During the film, Jonathan is making a film based on their experience in The Singles Ward. When Jonathan's friends visit the set, they each see the actor playing them; Dalen is played by "some guy who's been in every LDS movie ever made," who looks exactly like Dalen. While discussing making a movie about Dalen's experience in getting married, Jonathan says that franchises must be made in trilogies, but with everyone married the next one would have to be The Family Ward. Dalen even mentioned a dream that he had that he was a return missionary, full of the problems he and Jonathan had encountered. During the course of the movie, Christine narrates to the audience in much the same way Jonathan narrated the first movie. In a scene at the end of the movie with the two of them, Christine expresses surprise that Jonathan "knows" the audience, to which he replies that he knew them before she did.
