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A ministry of the ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP Ministry) A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Christian Ministry. www.capalert.com/ Entertainment Media Analysis Report A service to His little ones through you in His name by His Word MAR27063  (2007), PG [PG*] (1hr 40min) The #1 Christian entertainment media analysis service on the Internet. We give you OBJECTIVE tools NO ONE ELSE CAN to help YOU make an informed decision for yourself whether a film is fit for your family. Over 1200 analyses for parents, grandparents, pastors, youth leaders and more. |
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(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)
 Cast/Crew Details Courtesy Internet Movie Database Production (US): Andalasia Productions, Steiner Studios, James Baxter Animation, Josephson Entertainment, Sonnenfeld Josephson Worldwide Entertainment, Walt Disney Pictures Distribution (US): Walt Disney Pictures Director(s): Kevin Lima Producer(s): Christopher Chase, Barry Josephson, Jill Morris, Sunil Perkash, Jason Reed, Ron Rocha, Doug Short, Barry Sonnenfeld, Ezra Swerdlow Written by: Bill Kelly Cinematography/Camera: Don Burgess Music: Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz Film Editing: Gregory Perler, Stephen A. Rotter Casting: John Papsidera, Marcia Ross, Susan Shopmaker Production Design: Stuart Wurtzel Art Direction: John Kasarda Viewed At: Driftwood Theater 6 Enchanted is a feel-good romantic musical comedy rated PG with some nice, comfortable moments. But it does have some morality teeth. It is, after all, rated PG. Some of the teeth include excessive cleavage and some action violence with attempt to murder by poison apple by the evil queen. But fortunately there were no uses of profanity noted. We've all heard the sleeping story before but it is now with a new twist and new names. "Sleeping Beauty" is Giselle (Amy Adams) from the fantasy land of Andalasia (I wonder if the production company Andalasia Productions had anything to do with the name). Giselle wants to marry her true love, the handsome Prince Edward (James Marsden), the stepson of the evil witch queen, Narissa (Susan Sarandon). Marrying the Prince would make Giselle the next queen. Not wanting that to happen, to keep the two apart the evil queen Narissa has Prince Edward off hunting trolls. But the very next day Giselle and Edward meet and vow to marry. During the wedding ceremony Narissa forcibly banishes Giselle to the far, far away land of New York City. Being the hero he is, Prince Edward follows Giselle to rescue her. But it gets worse than that. Queen Narissa threatens to kill Giselle, first by poison apple with the help of Nathaniel (Timothy Spall, a.k.a Wormtail of Harry Potter - Azkaban) then by killing Giselle herself. Nathaniel is Edward's aide who secretly works for the evil queen in an attempt to win her heart. On a sidebar note, Nathaniel reveals another tidbit regarding the influence of the entertainment industry: addiction to soap operas. The man in the poster is not Prince Edward. It is divorced divorce attorney Robert Phillip (Patrick Dempsey), fiancé of Nancy Tremaine (Idina Menzel). At least her fiancé for the most part of the film. Robert is thoroughly convinced the world is hateful and that "happily ever after" never happens. It is Robert who comes to Giselle's "rescue" in NYC. When Giselle arrives in the real world New York City, she ultimately becomes connected with Robert and his six year old daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey). Morgan becomes attached to Giselle but Robert tries to keep himself distant from her since Giselle appears to be a candidate for a mental hospital. At least until she runs her fingers through his chest hair. There is more to the story but since this report is being posted on opening day, I will not spoil any more of it. To hopefully appeal to contemporary audiences, this film provides a mid-stream shift from the age-old "Once upon a time..." style to the ethics of the modern world. While an interesting and innovative attempt, it just doesn't seem to succeed. It seems to leave a bad taste in the nostalgia mouth to redefine a tried and true story, making the remake somewhat empty of any connection to the past. But if viewed as a new story, Enchanted provides a sometimes delightful cinematic romp that might help some develop a more positive outlook at life. At least for a little while. By the way, the chipmunk standing on top of the "D" in "Enchanted" on the poster is Pip (Jeff Bennett and Kevin Lima). He comes from the enchanted forest from which Giselle came. Pip probably does more to glue the story together than even the lead character. With a final score of 77 Enchanted falls squarely in the middle of the scoring range earned by PG movies (68 to 86 out of 100) in the comparative baseline database. The MPAA says this film is worthy of Parental Guidance (PG) due to scary images and mild innuendo. But what about all the excess cleavage? What about the sword threats? What about the homosexual implication? Well, the MPAA evidently does not considers these (and other) things as worthy of mentioning. We do. We tell you about the behavior demonstrations and imagery that fly in the face of God's perfect and inerrant Word so you might be in a better position to make an informed moral decision about for which age stratum, if any, this movie is fit. We tell you what is there ... you decide. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) In the beginning the giant troll (Fred Tatasciore) which Edward tries to catch later tries to catch and eat Giselle. As Giselle arrives in NYC the traffic becomes a voracious monster for her. A homeless man steals Giselle's crown as she tries to befriend him. Edward threatens a number of New Yorkers with his sword, once to the throat of a sanitation worker. He also stabs a bus which nearly slices through an old lady. Narissa plans to kill Giselle first with a poison apple then with her bare hands. A number of action violence sequences top off the violence content of Enchanted. [Rom. 12:18, Matt. 5:9] Impudence/Hate (I) If there is any use of profanity in this film I missed it. And it may be that the cut I saw had been edited of any uses of profanity. Such is a risk that must be tolerated in this "business." Sometimes you don't see the same cut I see. However, some forest critters engage in hateful antics. There are a number of lies and marital argumentation. Flatulence with a defecated chunk and dog urination add to the impudence of this film (on the part of the filmmakers). Sexual Immorality (S) The sexually immoral content of this film is limited to excessive cleavage (frequent for the first half of the show) [1Tim. 2:9, 1Cor. 12:23 - 24], a woman scampering out of a shower with flashes of skin not normally seen and a homosexual implication [1Cor. 6:9-10]. Giselle portrays sexual awakening by her running her fingers through Robert's chest hair. Drugs/Alcohol (D) A couple times alcoholic beverages are seen as is a bar. Also, poison is used to control Giselle. [Eph. 5:18] Offense to God (O) Narissa is a witch. She uses evil magic to control and to do harm to others a number of times. She also shape-shifts into a dragon and tries to kill Giselle. [Eph. 4:27, Deut. 18:10 - 12, 2Chr. 33:6] Murder/Suicide (M) No murders or suicides were noted. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ] or bold. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page. CHAPTER/VERSE ***Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry*** As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie. |
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 Wanton Violence/Crime (W) Impudence/Hate (I) Sexual Immorality (S) Drugs/Alcohol (D) Offense to God (O) Murder/Suicide (M) |
| There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings. |
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