Pirates of the Great Salt Lake (2006)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

I'd hate to think that living near the Great Salt Lake can make one totally lose perspective, but apparently that's what has happened to Kirby Heyborne. Heyborne who is an LDS version of Martin Short stars in Pirates Of The Great Salt Lake during which he damns Johnny Depp for making pirates lovable because he's not taken seriously.Heyborne and his new found friend Trenton James have decided to become pirates and their sea is the Great Salt Lake. Of course this whole thing is most disturbing to his mother Joyce Cohen. Still it's amazing how many even if they don't take him seriously kind of go with the flow.When an actual pirate map is discovered and take my use 'actual' with a grain of salt all kinds of things start happening. We even delve into the supernatural.Pirates Of The Great Salt Lake is a film that tries hard to be in the tradition of Harvey and Arsenic And Old Lace. But it just isn't in that category. It gets a little too weird for my taste, but Heyborne is a talented guy and if you look at some of his other work you'll come to that conclusion.

This movie lived up to all that I had heard about it. I took many members of my extended family to a special screening in Salt Lake. I did not tell any of them about the movie they would be screening in order to keep from influencing them with any hype. The movie came as a wonderful surprise to them all. I enjoyed hearing them laugh out loud throughout the whole movie. We had the pleasure also of meeting one of the stars Trent James, who graciously answered many questions we threw at him. I do hope a distribution deal will be struck soon so it will be released nationwide. I have no doubts that it will be a sleeper hit. You would have thought that Hollywood would have taken the hint from the success of Napoleon Dynamite as to the kinds of movies that American families are craving. This movie will appeal to even a wider audience than N.D.

This review contains some thematic spoilers, but not necessarily crucial plot elements. PotGSL is a wonderful and creative comedic adventure on the low sea that rests on the outskirts of suburbia. Many of the reviews that I read before seeing the film compared it with Napolean Dynamite and thus similarly praised or criticized both. I recently saw it at the Indianapolis International Film Festival and I have to admit that the humor is comparable, but PotGSL extends the identity crises of the characters beyond the high school world of Napolean. In early adulthood, many of us find ourselves with jobs that don't give our lives meaning. Sometimes we can even feel like we've lost ourselves to the conventional measures of success. Upon realizing that we are called to a different way of life (like to fulfill childhood dreams of becoming a pirate or a princess), we still might have to deal with how we are perceived if we choose to follow our dreams. But wouldn't it be great if we stumbled on to a treasure map to get us there? The pirate journey in PotGSL is not just about finding a buried treasure, but living life in spite of the mistakes of the past, whether they involve imposed curses or unfinished responsibilities. As a viewer, I was less interested in figuring out what would happen next in the movie than keeping up with the journey of the characters as they learned more about themselves and recognized the impact of the past on their future. Rather than merely living up to some conventional standards indifferent to our individual passions in life, PotGSL seems to be more about becoming the kind of people we want to be in the face of socially acceptable ways to live. And it advocates this with a great deal of humor. I loved this movie, and I hope that you will, too.

This film is a must see! I recently saw this film at the Newport Beach film festival and found it to be sweetly surprising. The acting was great, especially Kirby Heyborne in the lead role, who is lovable, enthusiastic and endearing all in one. Heyborne and Trenton James, who plays Flint Weaver, are a gem to see. Their respective characters play well off one another, which adds a measured balance to the film. Director E.R. Nelson must also be given kudos for his first feature film. His comedic presence behind the camera shines through in every scene. I also find it quite amazing, to say the least, that this "Napolean-esque" comedy was made in only three weeks time. You can't tell by watching the film.To all of those who love to laugh, or just like to laugh, this film must be seen. To any distributors out there, this one is a hit that will keep on giving!