YouthMin: A Mockumentary

8/28/2022

YouthMin is a mockumentary, but not a very good one; after all, it’s impossible to parody or satirize a subject which one does not know. The protagonist, Pastor David Bauer (Jeff Ryan), is the ultra-competitive director of the titular youth ministry; according to him, “turning the other cheek” is overrated – “what if David had turned the other cheek to Goliath”? Or if Daniel had turned the other cheek to the lions? Since David and Daniel, either as real people or fictional characters, predate Jesus, it’s likely that neither ever even entertained that possibility. But maybe that's the joke – a pastor who can't tell the Old Testament from the New; if it is, it’s not funny – unless you find incompetence funny, and you shouldn’t. To put it in perspective, the stars of This is Spinal Tap are

9/25/2023

It's super low budget but this film hit so close to home. I grew up going to youth group and bible camp and looking back it was kind of hilarious how it all turned out. Youthmin nails that aspect with a surprising amount of heart.