Let's be realistic.

Admirable film.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I had watched interviews with the boys this even happened to, so much of the plot was familiar going in.There are preaching moments, they are mormon missionaries after all, but none of it is ever jammed into the story. It all flows very naturally. Overall a solid film. The camera works was intreasting, 3 outta the 4 main actors did fantasic. The music felt a little repeatitive, but that was my biggest issue with this movie.All of the preaching furthered the story, so it gets a pass. The 8/10 rating is well deserved as I watched this movie twice in a row and enjoyed it both times.

A couple of passing Mormon Elders steered me to this film and I have to say it was not a bad choice. Filmed in both Salt Lake City and Kiev, The Saratov Approach is about two Mormon Elders on their mission in the Russian city of Saratov who are kidnapped by a pair of would be criminals and the LDS church itself given a ransom notice.As a tenet of the faith these young men and occasionally women do go on these two year missions to spread the faith. In that time if one is converted by them it's gravy. The meat and potatoes is to spread good will for the Church of Latter Day Saints. So Elders Propst and Tuttle are doing just that in the Russian they've learned in preparation for this assignment.Corbin Allred and MacLain Nelson do a good job in roles they are clearly too old for. Missionaries are usually 18 to 25 and the real Propst and Tuttle are identified as 23 and 20 in an article I read on the case. All the Mormon Elders I've ever encountered were about that age and the most recent two who recommended this film looked barely out of high school. In fact had they gotten two who looked like them to play Propst and Tuttle the film would have been better because the vulnerability would have increased exponentially.Alex Veadov and champion skater Nikita Bogolyubov play the kidnappers. Veadov is a Russian navy veteran and Bogolyubov just a follower in over his head. On certain levels the Elders do bond with the kidnappers, but it's hardly a Patty Hearst situation.The Saratov Approach is a nice film that would have been better with different casting of the Elders. It's also a commercial for the LDS church, but that's to be expected.And this review is dedicated to those passing Mormon Elders Reed and Hamilton both from rural parts of Utah who recommended The Saratov Approach as good material to review.

What can I say that hasn't already been said? If you've been brainwashed by the cult known as the LDS church, you'll give this film 9 or 10 stars. If you are an open minded individual not controlled by a church, you can clearly see this is a bad film pushing a religious agenda. Bad acting. Bad writing. Bad directing. Clearly not filmed in Saratov with cheesy attempts to hide that fact. Just bad. This should have gone straight to video and somehow it didn't. I didn't make it to the end, as I don't sit through anyone's sermons that support a mythological being created by preliterate 3rd person accounts. It's a shame we live in a world that still believes in this garbage. The IMDb rating for this film is 5.5. But it's much worse than 5.5, no thanks to the LDS cult trying to boost the films appeal by blindly giving it a 10. A small example of the lengths religion will go to to defend it's fairy tale.

Alright I watched the whole thing but not from love for the movie or a curiosity to know the climax (which is very predictable) but just because I liked the music score and I found the acting decent. Also because I had some time to kill. The storyline is of two Christian missionaries being kidnapped for ransom and the ordeal they have to go through. Sounds like a Good tale right? NO, the problems come from them repeatedly giving their thoughts on Christianity and Jesus almost every time they talk (other than the bit where they talk about the NBA). Towards the end, the preaching started to grate on my nerves and also the other scenes where their families were being shown. In short, if you are Christian and believe that the Christ is your savior and died for your sins, then go ahead and watch it. Others, just stay away. The 4 in my rating is for the music score and I quite liked the Russians.