ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP)
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Entertainment Media Analysis Report

MAR02998
Meet Joe Black (1998), R
CAP Score: 68, CAP ID: 0.57

Thomas A. Carder
CAP President


Executive Summary/Commentary
Findings/Scoring
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY/COMMENTARY:

"Meet Joe Black" was more PG-13 nudity. But this one has two [unmarried] people in bed together -- nude -- preceeded by sensuous undressing of each other. Yet another example of the motion picture industry lowering even further the standards of acceptance. Whatever makes a buck, right?

An unholy agent - Death in human form (Brad Pitt) - comes for Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins), a rich business man, offering a 'stay of execution' if conditions were met. Death would take a holiday if Parrish would let Death learn a few things about life: things like the taste of peanut butter and sexual intercourse with his daughter, Susan (Claire Forlani). Death saturates the lives of the Parrish family. This unholy agent has the power to give pain and life, too. Only God has the power to give life -- to give birth or to resurrect -- and only God can permit death. God is in control, not Death. So, this movie is another distortion of the Scriptures and His law.

The movie begins with a pedestrian being killed in a traffic accident with violent extraodinary realism such as I have never seen before. Many uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary including the most foul of the foul words plus multiple uses of God's name in vain with and without the four letter expletive were present. The movie presented posession of a dead body by an unholy force, two instances of wanting to die, begging Death to take life, and one instance of unholy resurrection (return of the killed man into his body). At least four instances of consumption of alcoholic beverages were noted. Sensual/sexual talk and innuendo, nudity, foreplay (mutual undressing), open face kissing, and sexual intercourse shaved several points off the final score. Deceit and lies took their toll, too.

 


FINDINGS/SCORING: Meet Joe Black (1998) CAP Thermometers

Wanton Violence/Crime (W) lost no points in the intermediate level but earned loss of points in the maximum level once due to an extrodinarily realistic death of a pedestrian by being knocked around by three cars.

Impunity/Hate (I)(1) lost no points in the intermediate level but earned loss of points in the maximum level once due to the use of the most foul of foul words.

Sex/Homosexuality (S) lost points four times in the intermediate level due to intimate sexual activity, including multiple scenes of nude forplay, but earned loss of points in the maximum level once due to nude sexual intercourse.

Drugs/Alcohol (O)(2) lost no points in the intermediate level or the maximum level.

Offense to God (O) lost points in the intermediate level five times due to control by an unholy force and "Not afraid of death. Should I be afraid of death. Not a man like you." Offense to God lost points in the maximum level seven times due to five uses of God's name in vain with the four letter expletive, due once to the unholy force having the power of death as if God is not in control, and once due to resurrection of a dead man.

Murder/Suicide (M)(3) lost no points in any level.

Additional examples of ignominy, each warranting the loss of minimum level points included:

  • having conversations with an unholy voice
  • at least 24 uses of the three/four letter word vocabulary
  • an unholy entity claiming a dead body to possess as a host
  • at least four instances of consumption of alcoholic beverages
  • sensual/sexual talk, sexual innuendo
  • two uses of God's name in vain without the four letter expletive
  • open face kissing
  • two instances of wanting to die
  • begging the unholy force to take life
  • deceit through corporate politics
  • reference to male anatomy
  • playing with lives
  • obtaining the truth by using lies

    In accordance with the numeric comparative baseline database of the CAP Entertainment Media Analysis Model, Meet Joe Black (1998) presented programming equivalent to R-rated material in Impunity/Hate and Offense to God. Material equivalent to PG-13 programming was found in Sex/Homosexuality. The movie was equivalent to G-rated programming in Wanton Violence/Crime, Drugs/Alcohol, and Murder/Suicide. Thus, Meet Joe Black is equivalent to 33% R-rated programming, 17% PG-13 rated programming, and 50% G-rated programming.


    (1) As noted in CAP Special Report-001, "Investigation Area and Scoring Trend," of the six CAP Investigation Areas, Impunity/Hate was the strongest presence in all four movie classifications. It has a strong revelation about the entertainment media.

    (2) The use of the three/four letter word vocabulary without God's name is incorporated into the Impunity/Hate Investigation Area. The use of God's name with or without the three/four letter word vocabulary is incorporated into the Offense to God Investigation Area. There is no duplication. As required of the Holy Scriptures, unless God's name is used with reverence to His glory and praise, its use is considered in vain, whether literal or euphemistic.

    (3) Only portrayal of successful murder or suicide are incorporated into Murder/Suicide. Presentation of attempts to commit murder or suicide, deaths by police action, and deaths by war are incorporated into Wanton Violence/Crime.

    Please remember we believe that if even one of the six Investigation Area scores for a movie is equivalent to the CAP comparative baseline database scoring range for R, PG-13, or PG material, the entire movie should be regarded as so rated.  For example, if only Wanton Violence/Crime earns a score equivalent to R but all other Investigation Areas earn a score equivalent to G, THERE IS R-RATED MATERIAL IN THE MOVIE AND YOUR KIDS WILL SEE IT AND HEAR IT IF THEY WATCH THE MOVIE!




    Additional reviews of this movie may be located at "Movie Review Query Engine at Telerama."




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    Thomas A. Carder
    President
    ChildCare Action Project: Christian Analysis of American Culture (CAP)

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