I am very pleased to hear such a film about our dearly beloved Prophet Gordon B Hinckley is coming out right now. It is timely. We need to know the human side to our leaders who were not perfect but just like us as the article portrays. I am a convert of four decades now. I had no one as role model to know how to teach and raise my children. I studied the works of ALL the Latter-day prophets, biographies and autobiographies. I loved the writings of Joseph Smith and came to love and know him through his legacy. Raising four sons and four daughters was not easy alone for most of the last two plus decades. I leaned on the examples and what their own mothers taught them to become great men/ leaders. A new generation of mothers can now learn from President Hinckley's life. This movie would make a nice gift for my grandchildren to see and know that the Prophet they remember was human and once a little child like them. I comment Brother Christensen for his insight and work on this great project. A. Mc

I am hopeful it will be done in a fun, respectful way!

God bless good ole' Pres. Hinckley. He was one amazing man.

T.C. needs to be more careful . . . saying young GBHinckley is believable because he was a "little rat kid," whose neck he would likely have rung had he known him. Granted, he is speaking colorfully for effect, but it offers us a clue on the lens through which the story is being presented.

If I need a nap, I'll go see this incredibly boring movie.

hey Bob - you're late for your shift at Burger King!

I can't wait for this movie.

I sustain Thomas Monson as, among other things, a really nice guy but I always thought GBH was cold and his affability affected. Perhaps this film will change that?

Now, how would have President Hinkley have responded to Bob?

Cindy, T.C. used to be my primary teacher. He called everyone rat kids, at the end of the year he even bought us all rats, it's just something he says. And seriously lighten up, Gordon B. Hinkly was a great man. But not god. He even had a pretty good sense of humor.

Not being LDS or a vampire lover, I'll probably miss the big openings this week and get this one on dvd. President Hinkley was always a more small screen guy and watching conference missionary farewell and baptism scenes on the big screen isn't my idea of a Friday night.

Sounds like a must miss movie to me. I'm not a big fan of fiction anyway.

Wow, another boring fabricated movie about a mormon leader. Sign me up!

"From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh!"

Is good to watch a movie about a great Man like President Gordon B. Hinckley, I love him great human being and left us with a great legacy.
But to all members and not members let's try to be nice to each other and just respect our diferences,we don't need to get upset,I'm pretty sure President Hinckley wants us to be civilized people.
He was popular amoung not members too.

What a classy comment!! I bet you wake up everyday happy to be alive. :)
Nothing better then a LDS hater comment! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I feel sorry for you my man..

It must be miserable to go through life with your main motivation being bitterness toward the Mormons (or anybody else, for that matter). What did you Utah Mormons do, to inspire such bigotry?

Regarding the question of how President Hinckley would respond... I'm guessing he'd laugh good-naturedly and shrug it off. Prophets have always been scorned and dismissed by a certain segment of the population; you can't win 'em all.

Prophets don't always respond so passively. One of my favorite Old Testament stories is when Elisha was mocked by a group of youths because of his bald head. He must've been having a bad day, because he cursed them and summoned a couple bears out of the woods, that tore into those punks like they were lunchmeat! (2 Kings 2:23-24)

One thing I loved about President Hinckley was his sense of humor and his love for those around him, member or not. It is hard to understand how anyone would find fault with someone who was so kind?

Too bad all the haters can't just stay away from the Deseret News. But they just can't stay away from something they hate, can they. Small minds. Go to that movie and take that nap. Take a lot of sleeping pills too. You need it.

"Boring," "fabricated," "fiction" ... Such constructive, knowledgeable criticism from people who, I am certain, have either read the screenplay, watched the film, or have first hand knowledge of GBH's youth.

I met him 30 years ago at a stake meeting when I was a youth. He was not cold. There was fire in his eye, and warmth in that handshake. Some mistake his even delivery and dry humor as being cold, but they missed a lot.

As a BYU student I went to many meetings at the Marriott Center. I also saw Bill Cosby perform there once. There were occasions when GBH drew nearly as many laughs as Bill did.

To those of you who feel it necessary to belittle a man you never met, whose beliefs you don't respect, and whose quiet lifelong service you'll never understand, I wish you a good day, and pray someday you are able to open your heart just a bit, to accept that maybe through his devotion and service he was able to help some people improve themselves, and through that make the world a little better place.

Paul in MD-
Well said.

President Hinckley was a breath of fresh air, full of love and compassion for all people.I'm so glad to have been alive as he served as the prophet.He truly made our world a better place by all the good he did for mankind.God bless this sweet man.

I'm always curious as to why it is such a deep cultural habit for the church to continue to worship the dead profits.

I mean, I used to be a part of the church where I hear more about the true prophet, Joe Smith, then I would hear about Christ the Savior.

A little at a time, I suddenly realized, it's the church of prophets, not of Christ.

That's why I made a huge mistake in joining as a kid, and quickly corrected my actions.

I can't believe I was a part of it, and still trying to clean my soul from it.

It's sad that some feel as this last guy does. He obviously didn't understand what was being taught all those years in Sunday school. As for worship, that's a bit extreme. This is called honor for a great man. Why is it that when big film producers do the same thing, the movies are hailed. Think of big productions about actors, about sports heroes, about comedians....they were all hailed as great films, and no one said anything about worship. This should be a fine film about a man who, as was already siad, was hailed as a great man by those of other faiths. Think of all the awards received from Catholic organizations, of even the President. He was a great man of profound kindness,faith, and devotion. That's commendable, regardless of your faith. You don't have to be Mormon to recognize that he was a great man.

"Bob | 8:56 a.m. Nov. 21, 2008
If I need a nap, I'll go see this incredibly boring movie."

Bob, I haven't seen the movie yet so I really can't say if it's good or not. However.....I can say without reservation that the man the film focuses on was a true prophet of God. Meaning...the God of Heaven chose Gordon B. Hinckley to speak to all the world for Him, that God spoke to Hinckley through the clear whisperings of the Holy Spirit, and that he (Hinckley) had God's authority to carry out all religious ceremonies ("ordinances") needed for a person to be able to enter into the presence of Deity.

And....I'll be so bold as to say that sooner or later you're going to recognize that everything I've said is true for God will tell you from His own mouth.

Mock me if you wish, for that is your right to choose, but everything I've said is true.

Best wishes -

Dan Maloy
Enid, OK

I was not a fan of GBH--or any of the other old men who have led the church since Brigham Young. Boring pious old farts are boring pious old farts. It amazes me how the sheeple of Zion will blather on about how inspiring and wonderful they were.

I was at the premier of the movie and it is excellent and uplifting. I am excited for other members of the LDS church to see it. Pres. Hinckley is a wonderful man. T.C. Christensen is a talented film maker. I learned a lot about a great prophet from this film. It was good to see that Gordon B. Hinckley was a normal little boy. I recommend this movie.

You know nothing about prophets, nothing about Pres. Hinckley, nothing about Pres. Monson, and nothing about religion, or inspiration. And your comment more than proves it.

I will always have reverence for this fine example of a man. He was a great prophet of the modern day. I'm sure that his Savior and mine is quite pleased with such incredible accomplishments and for the humility and grace of this most sweet servant. He exchanged his potential for great riches and worldly accomplishment for humble dedicated service to the Lord. His example stands forever.

Dan Maloy of Enid, OK.

Good times man. Thanks for making my Friday. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

It reminded me how silly religion is with holy ghosts and other various fictional characters. It's always easy to see the people who really have nothing in their lives but faith. They want to believe so badly in heaven because they have nothing to live for that they'll believe anything a church "leader" tells them. It's like believing everything your parents say when you're a young child. You don't know any better. I once believed if you left your shoes on while in bed your feet would fall off because my crazy grandma told me that. I thought it was fact because why would my grandma lie, it was because she wanted me to do something and used fear to get it. Religious leaders use the same tactic. Some of us just never wake up to reason and prefer to blindly follow faith hoping for a good outcome.

If GBH talked with god... I have a phone line to John Wayne in Heaven.

It always amuzes me when all these people who hate the LDS Church have so much to say about things they know nothing about. I am reminded of the last conference talk that Apostle Bruce McKonkie gave a few days before he passed away, he said "I liken the Church to a huge caravan moving accros the deseret and every so often the Dogs come out and nip at the Oxen's heels, but the caravan keeps moving on.

You say - "I thought it was fact because why would my grandma lie, it was because she wanted me to do something and used fear to get it. Religious leaders use the same tactic."

Say What?? Gordon B. Hinckley wanted something out of me and used fear to get it? Like what?

Also you say "They want to believe so badly in heaven because they have nothing to live for that they'll believe anything a chuch "leader" tells them".

What an insult. I have nothing to live for? Who are you to make that kind of a judgement?

"Some of us just never wake up to reason.."

It is you who has no reasoning ability. Just use your head, maybe for the first time, and realize there is a purpose for life and living far beyond the time you spend here on the earth.

As far as John Wayne goes here is to seeing him in the future.

Pay no attention to those who mock or scorn. This is all they want. These are the same people who show up to General Conferenc to protest. Why? Because there is a camera. Where are they all year long? Don't give ANY HEED TO THEM. Let Pres. Hinkley's legacy go forward and YOU learn from him. YOU make the choice to listen and YOU let your heart dictate who he was....not those who are only inspired by hate, offense, and cynicism.

A great man who is missed. Would love to go to a theatre but live in VA and had to order the DVD.

We really don't understand a person that is compelled to comment in a negative, personal way regarding President Hinkley, the Church, or other readers.

My husband and I saw a advertisement on TV about the movie and DVD last night, and we will not be able to see the film on the big screen, but my husband said to put the DVD on his Christmas list this year. We love to see films about interesting people and President Hinckley is one of the most interesting people to have seen in this century. He is a wonderful person and has set a fine example of how to be more Christ-like. He worked on this his whole life and is to be admired. He was not perfect, but he was as close to perfection as a person could get in this life. I only hope to be half as good of a person as he is and I have a long way to go.

I am just amazed that anyone has much negative to say about President Hinckley. Read the tributes paid to him by the nonmembers who knew him. Their findings are consistent - a deeply good, deeply spiritual man with just a hint of mischief in his eyes and a real love for people.

If you really find Pres. Hinckley distasteful, you might want to read Matthew 11:16-19. We have had the young firebrands and the kindly grandfathers deliver a consistent message. If we can’t follow any of them, perhaps the fault is our own.

Pres. Hinckley was grandfatherly in delivery but direct as well. He had no qualms about telling us exactly what God expects of us regarding how we treat our spouses, our children, our elderly, and our neighbors (those that look like us, and those that don’t).

I still miss him and, perhaps a part of me always will. When he took office, I thought that his would be a “caretaker” presidency. I couldn’t have been more wrong (and I am grateful for it).

As a non-LDS transplant to UT, I miss Hinckley: he was loved by all(except those who hated the church). I'm not interested in mormonism per se, but Hinckley really was a kind, charming, and caring individual who made Utah a better place by his example. Though I didn't agree with him on everything- like gay rights, I still gained a lot of respect for him, which interestingly hasn't passed on to Monson just yet (perhaps it's the Prop 8 issue). Hinckley really was a good example and is missed by this non-LDS family. I doubt we'll see the movie, but I can't blame other's for being interested in this great man.

I love Pres. Hickley. I missed him. The world was better when he was on it. Can't wait to see the movie.

Riverton,
The Church also came out against gay marriage when Gordon Hinckley was the prophet, so that can't be the only thing that's keeping you from respecting Thomas Monson. But thank you for adding some kind words to dilute some of the bitterness on here.

I miss President Hinckley's cane wave. And his smile. And how cute he and his wife were together.

Just because someone is old, that does not make them irrelevant. As someone who is approaching middle age, I have come to greatly appreciate those who have learned from experience. I have relatives and friends who have had the opportunity to meet with apostles and the uniformly speak of their graciousness and humility. One of those "old guys" said, "My life is like my shoes--to be worn out in service". I am far from that standard, but it is my goal.

I miss President Hinckley. I never knew him in person, and the closest I got to him was about 15 feet away, but his way of teaching, made him into a grandfather-like figure. I appreciated his leadership, as he inspired me to be a better person, a father, and a husband. His somewhat gruff, distinctive voice was(is) comforting. Although it was not the literal voice of God, I believe that he did speak for God to us, in our time.

You are free to mock. This is a free country, and you may speak without repercussion. But your words (and hence your analysis) will have little effect on me because they do not match my experiences.

This is about honoring the someone who has past on, NOT worshipping.

IF you can tell the difference, then we can only feel sorry for you for living in such a self-imposed narrow-minded world.

Why is it that we see so many people honor great men and women like JFK, MLK Jr., etc but when someone like Gordon B Hinckley or John Paul II is honored they call it worshiping?

I have seen this film twice and went to the premier a couple of weeks ago- it is incredible. The film really shows what President Hinckley was like as a boy and shows his relationship with his brother Sherm. I like it because it shows a lot of his life that hasn't been shared in other films. It also carries a strong message, great humor and you go away emotional remembering this wonderful prophet. I recommend that everyone see's this film.

Thanks to all of you that have posted such positive comments in response to the upcoming movie. As a convert of 28 years. (currently inactive) I am surprise at the constant negative and name dropping (GAY) comments that continually creap into almost all the comments found in this forum. It reminds of why I was drawn to the church in the early 80's. There is an evil out their, and it never sleeps. For all you out their that have hate in your hearts, for what has been considered good in this life for over 2000 years. You may want to condsider what God you worship.(directly or indirectly) In another 30 years you may be surprised at what you have become. I pray for this country everyday and for the strength to reisist the storm that is coming.

I am greatful to have a testimony of the church. I don't understand all the bashing of a great man. I love the church and it's teachings. I know a lot of people don't understand and so they bash it, but if you really took the time to say a prayer in your heart you might just find out you understand. When you don't understand something you find out more about it you don't trash it and come up with reasons why you trashed it. You don't understand something and don't want to find out that is fine but you can respect other that do find out.

I knew him well. He stayed at my home and held my grand children on his lap. Words cannot describe his greatness. I once saw him laugh so hard, food came out of his nose. I once saw him weep in pain for the discomfort of another. He continues to live in my heart right next to my father. I love him for his many unspoken kindnesses to me and others. He will always be GREAT in my eyes and heart. GOD BLESS HIM.

There is nothing wrong with thinking how someone who has passed on influenced your life for good. Many people in the Church had a connection with Gordon B. Hinckley because inspired them. He had a great sense of humor, worked hard, and connected with the ordinary person of the Church.

As a lifelong member of the Church, I hear about Christ at almost every meeting I attend. We revere Joseph Smith because he was the instrument through whom the restored Gospel came. We revere Joseph Smith as we do the prophets Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Nephi, Alma, and many others who taught us how to live a better life. I also revere Mahatma Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln, and Mother Theresa.

I revere my father, who died about 9 years ago. He was not perfect, either, but he influenced my life for good. I do not worship him, but not a day goes by when I don't think of him, or of my sister who passed away when she was 24 years old.

I hope you have someone in your life that you revere and respect--a religious or humanitarian leader, a grandfather, a statesman, even if he/she has passed on.

We miss you President Hinckley.

I'm always amazed at the enlightened ones on this thread. They think they are "free thinkers" yet I haven't heard anything new in their thought process that hasn't been said a thousand times before (boring). They may not follow what they percieve are the weak minded believers but they follow they herd non the less. Give me a unique thought and I might be swayed. GBH was unique primarily because of his selfless service to CHRIST and his fellow man. Additionally, He worked on self mastery which is very unique and to be admired!