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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 MAR29029  (2009), PG-13 [Hard R-13*] (1hr 36min) 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): New Line Cinema, Panther Distribution (US): Warner Home Video Director(s): Mark Waters Producer(s): Ginny Brewer, Samuel J. Brown, Brad Epstein, Jonathan Shestack, Jessica Tuchinsky, Marcus Viscidi Written by: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore Cinematography/Camera: Daryn Okada Music: Rolfe Kent Film Editing: Bruce Green Casting: Geralyn Flood, Marci Liroff Production Design: Cary White Art Direction: Maria L. Baker Viewed on New Line Productions Home DVD  This film analysis is sponsored by the generosity of E&HP and McK. Take a moment, if you have not already, to focus on the CAP thermometers for this new addition to the ever-growing family of hardcore R-13 movies.  The attention I would like for you to pay is to the investigation area scoring distribution, the Area Score row which reveals the following in table format: • Wanton Violence/Crime: 90 • Impudence/Hate: Zero • Sexual Immorality: Zero • Drugs/Alcohol: Zero • Offense to God: Zero • Murder/Suicide: 100 I cannot remember the last film or if there ever has been a film out of the nearly 1300 film analyses we have done that had such a wide span in the scoring distribution across the six CAP investigation areas! Ninety, Zero, Zero, Zero, Zero, 100! There have been many PG-13 films that have earned zero scores in multiple investigation area but none with one or two area scores breaking into the G-equivalence scoring range (87 to 100 out of 100) while all the other area scores were zero (hardcore R-equivalent). Envision the scoring distribution equivalence for this film like this: G, Hard R, Hard R, Hard R, Hard R, G. Below is a pictorial way to visually imagine the scoring distribution of this 96-minutes of poison to the innate sexual humility of the target audience.  This PG-13 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is about as morally R as R can get. As with so many other "R-13" and "R-PG" films the R-ness is not necessarily due to the extremeness of any individual examples of assault on morality that are typical of more severely rated films but is due to the sheer number of instances of moral assault of the "lesser kind" to achieve the same feel as the more extreme content. For more information on this relatively new technique of loading or weighting the content of a film, please see our CAP Rule of 1000 publication. On October 12, 2009, just after finishing viewing the DVD and before completing the number crunching, I told our subscribers that this film "may be well described as a sexual mockery of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol." Indeed it easily comes across as a sexualized version of the Dickens classic. After a lengthy introduction with women flashing flesh squeezing out from underwear during a photo shoot, the womanizing Connor "Scrooge" Mead (Matthew McConaughey), a wildly successful photographer, is visited by three ghosts: past, present and future, actually four ghosts if you include the ghost of his uncle. The focus of the three ghosts is to wake Connor up to his amoral and immoral contempt for sexual humility while the fourth ghost -- that of his uncle -- re-teaches Connor the how-to's of sexual conquest by re-living his adolescent teachings. The ghost of the past, 16 year old Allison Vandermeersh (played by 21 year old Emma Stone) forces Connor to relive his encounters with dozens of his sexual victims, including herself ... in a bathroom. The ghost of the present, Melanie (Noureen DeWulf) forces Connor to witness the impact of his abrasive scorn for sexual purity. The no-name ghost of the future (Olga Maliouk) forces Connor to see what is in store if he doesn't change his ways, for example, his tombstone (Maliouk doesn't say a single word, she just points). So the underlying theme of this story is the same as in Dickens' classic except instead of greed yielding to philanthropy the focal thread of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is sex. Sex this. Sex that. Sex everything. And all is treated with absolving disdain for moral wholesomeness as if casual sex is supposed to be acceptable and the modern norm. And, as in A Christmas Carol, the quintessential creep gets his comeuppance and sees the error of his ways. That a bad guy ultimately achieves redemption is good indeed but what about the victims of his/her deeds along the way? A noble destination cannot be allowed to excuse an ignoble path. While there is no nudity except for the squeezing of flesh out from scant and flimsy underwear, there is [clothed] fondling and all manner of talk about sex and all manner of sexual game maneuvers. Connor reluctantly attends the wedding of his seemingly milquetoast brother, Paul (Breckin Meyer) to the high-strung and knife-mouthed, Sandra (Lacey Chabert). Connor is reluctant to attend the wedding because he does not agree with marriage. He thinks that something like marriage is torture for the single man to weaken him and submit to the wiles and ways of a soft, sumptuous and hungry young lady: that sex which is typically ... and morally ... and Biblically ... reserved for marriage should be free of moral restraint. Connor evidently does not believe God's Word which admonishes us that any sexual contact (including visual), conduct or activity outside of a monogamous heterosexual marriage is sinful. From his youth Connor's best friend and confidante is Jenny Perotti (Jennifer Gardner). Jenny is also his first camera subject, his first photo by a camera she gave him as a gift. From the solid friendship that blossomed from that encounter, the two slowly drift apart though deep inside they each remain close -- a guarded attraction. The camera gift and first photo set the stage for Connor becoming a professional photographer, one of the two main fibers in Connor's persona. The second of two main fibers of Connor's persona is ingrained into Connor by his uncle Wayne who took Connor under his wing after Connor's parents died. Connor's parents were loving and caring parents deeply and richly involved with each other but, due to the untimely death of both, left Connor at a time when Connor's moral development was relatively empty and yet a sponge to any teaching. Unfortunately, a key tenet of Wayne's teachings was ignoble -- how to get women into bed. So Connor develops into one who embraces shallow and temporary relationships and typically of the sexual nature ... and uses the camera to fill his sexual belly. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - 90 out of 100 The only issues of violence in the entire 96 minutes of this film were a couple examples of slapstick violence: Connor gets slapped and gets push-tripped by one of the ghosts. An episode of reckless driving took one point off the starting 100 points in this investigation area. Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Twenty-one times someone utters some form of the three/four letter word vocabulary. Crude remarks and insults and talk, body piercing, tattoos and portraying women as sexual objects of conquests were expensive to the scoring in this investigation area. And the teaching of a young boy how to take sexual advantage of women didn't help the area score any. Sexual Immorality (S) - Zero out of 100 To even try to summarize the tons of sexually immoral deeds, talk, innuendo and comments found would be futile. This film normalizes and even minimizes amoral contempt for wholesome sexual humility, not as much at the physical level as at the social level. Please rely on the itemized listing in the Findings/Scoring section if you want to know the details of this material that is sexual humility poison for the typical thirteen year old child. But I will "summarize" God's Word against sexual irresponsibility: any sexual contact (including visual), conduct or activity outside of a monogamous heterosexual marriage is sinful. I will, however, offer a few of the Scriptures about the sinfulness of sexually immoral behaviors and thoughts. [1 Cor. 7:1 - 2, 1 Cor. 7:9, 1Ths. 4:1-5, 1 John 2:26, 1 Cor. 16:18 - 20] Drugs/Alcohol (D) - Zero out of 100 Alcoholic beverages, drinking and drunkenness, including teen drinking and drunkenness, is frequent. Quite a perfect example of that which the American College of Physicians found regarding the modern entertainment industry. A 2002 study by the American College of Physicians (ACP) revealed that adolescent exposure to drinking in and as entertainment undeniably leads to abuse of alcohol among underage viewers. The finding entitled Relation Between Parental Restrictions on Movies and Adolescent Use of Tobacco and Alcohol reports that of 4544 youths from grades 5 through 8 of fifteen Vermont and New Hampshire middle schools (90% of the youths were under fourteen years old) only 16% were completely restricted from viewing R-rated movies. Within the ACP study population, the prevalence of having tried alcohol without parental knowledge was The researchers selected R-rated movies because they assumed R-rated movies typically present more drinking than movies of other classifications. This assumption is no longer true. The researchers were not aware of the matter of R-13 proven by this ministry in 2000 with which Harvard University researchers unknowingly corroborated four years later. The bottom line? The focus is that the emboldening influence of adolescent exposure to drinking (and smoking) in and as entertainment is undeniable regardless of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) classification. [Eph. 5:18] Rather revealing of the influences of the entertainment industry wouldn't you say? And emboldening children to sin with drink in and as entertainment screams of violating Luke 17:2. Offense to God (O) - Zero out of 100 God's name is abused without the four letter expletive 16 times through the 96 minutes of this film plus once with the four letter expletive. I guess that would be of little import to they who do not understand or accept that abusing God's name by using it with an expletive or as an expletive (such as in the popular three-syllable sentence with his name trailing it) is a sin of ... er ... Biblical proportions. God warned us that the one who uses His name in vain would not be held guiltless. [Deut. 5:11] In addition, spook antics, ghostly events and unholy manifestations such as a ghost walking through a man and manipulating time and people abound. [Deut. 18:9 - 12] Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 There is no murder or suicide noted in the entire film. 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 •• abominations [to`ebah {to-ay-baw'}: a disgusting thing, abomination, abominable; wickedness] •• divination [qecem {keh'-sem}: witchcraft, false prophets] •• observer of times [anan {aw-nan'}: soothsayer, sorceress, enchanter (one who practices divination), to make appear, control weather, conjurer, spiritism, unholy magic] •• witch [kashaph {kaw-shaf'}: sorcerer, soceress, one who practices unholy magic] •• charmer [chabar {khaw-bar'}: to unite, join, bind together with charms (voodoo)] •• consulter with familiar spirits [owb {obe}: necromancer, one who evokes/communicates with the dead; ghost, spirit of a dead one; one who has a familiar spirit] •• wizard [yidd@`oniy {yid-deh-o-nee'}: one who has a familiar spirit; a familiar spirit; soothsayer; necromancer] God sounds so serious about embracing evil that it seems He would include embracing evil even in and as entertainment since it has been proven in so many ways that entertainment can and does influence deeply and contaminate values. Even God agrees with that. (see 1 Cor. 15:33). ***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) - 90 out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - Zero out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - Zero out of 100 Offense to God (O) - Zero out of 100 Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 |
| 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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