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Reel World Reality 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 MAR2012.075  (2012), PG-13 [G-13*] (101.9min) 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 1500 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.)
 Production (US): Samuel Goldwyn Films, American family Studios and Provident Films present a film by Jon & Andrew Erwin Distribution (US): Provident Distribution Director(s): Jon & Andrew Erwin Producer(s): Dan Atchison, Justin Tolley, Jonathan Erwin, Andrew Erwin, Dave Allan Johnson, Joyce Childs, James Stannard, Raymond Harris, Cecil Stokes, John Bauman, Kristopher S. Kimlin, Joshua Walsh, TK McKamy Written by: Jon Erwin & Theresa Preston Story by: Jon, Erwin, Andrew Erwin, Theresa Preston, Cecil Stokes Cinematography/Camera: Jon Erwin Music: Paul Mills Film Editing: Andrew Erwin Casting: Beverly Holloway Production Design: Ed Gurney Art Direction: Ed Gurney Viewed on Provident Home Entertainment DVD In this film 19 year old Hannah Lawson (Rachel Hendrix), after a failed try at stage performing which was foiled by asthma and epilepsy, found that she was adopted. As sometimes happens when adopted children are not told early on that they are adopted, Hannah reacts to the news of being adopted with belligerence and begins to let curiosity about her "real mom" consume her every waking moment. I put "real mom" in quotes to make a point. A child's adopted mother may not be the child's mater but she is indeed the child's mom. Likewise, and later on in the film, Hannah's boyfriend, during an immature bout with parental authority, blasts at Hannah's adopted father that "She's not your daughter!" How wrong can a script be. Hannah's adopted father may not be her pater but he is her father. Her dad. Any healthy adult male can sire a child but only a father can be dad for the child. After Hannah found out she was adopted and that her birthplace was Mobile General Hospital, Alabama she decides to go along with a group of friends [including her life-long buddy and eventual boyfriend, Jason Bradley (Jason Burkey)] on a Spring Break trip to New Orleans ... via Mobile. Maybe Hannah can find at least a thread of evidence of Hannah's biological mother in Mobile. She found it, er, her. The nurse that signed Hannah's birth certificate. Nurse Mary Rutledge (Jasmine Guy). From Nurse Mary Hannah found out her biological mother's name to be Cindy Hastings (Shari Rigby) plus a little of her history and where she works. Hannah also found out she was a failed attempt at abortion. Hannah found out also that she had a twin brother, Jonathan who died four months after their birth who had lost his arm in the failed abortion attempt. From there the path of the story winds through a series of battles and discoveries, through decisions made with the heels dug in just to be changed and changed again, and an ingenious display of many other events particular only to the path of an adopted child. The writers present a path of a perfect journey into forgiveness and restoration: a path that leads to Hannah telling her dad "Thank you for wanting me." I wonder if anyone who has not adopted a child can fathom the immensity of those words? Well, folks. It appears to finally have happened -- a G-equivalent film has been labeled PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) likely because of its Christian content. This film is rated PG-13 for "mature thematic material", the most useless informative category I have ever heard, as if it is supposed to tell the parent anything about the content of the film. Apparently, according to the MPAA, "thematic material" is material such as positive reference to God, portrayal of dependence upon Him, freely praying to Him and a Catholic priest leading a young woman in life's trials ... Christian content ... which has become unfit for children under 13 years old. The challenges and emotional "war" sometimes faced by adopting children and abortion may be part of "PG-13" but not so in any of the more than 1500 titles I have seen. Besides, whether the film is fit for your 13 year old kids is not the MPAA's call to make. It is YOUR call to make. There is no law, tort or ordinance that says you must let your kids see any MPAA classification. While the scoring distribution earned by this film revealed the content in Impudence/Hate (I) and Wanton Violence/Crime (W) to be equivalent to most PG-rated films, the film earned G-equivalence in everything else. Thus the overall score or magnitude of content is clearly G-equivalent, thus this film is a G-13*. How the MPAA got a PG-13 out of this film is beyond me. I suppose there might be some credence in the PG-13 rating if one views discussion of abortion to be unfit for kids under 13 years old, but again it is not their call to make. It is your call to make. One thing about abortion not mentioned once in the entire film or in so many other films presenting abortion is that if the participants in the sexually immoral behavior that caused the unwanted pregnancy had kept their clothes on there would not be any pregnancy. The bottom line: if the participants in sexual intercourse had kept their clothes on there would be no baby. Those are harsh things for me to say but they are the harsh facts. Keeping one's clothes on is a sure-fire contraceptive. The baby, whether born of married parents or otherwise is absolutely blessed, but the deed that brought about the baby is not. Nor is murder of an unborn child. I am not about to start an argument with the pro-choicers about the viability of an unborn child but I will argue to my death that life starts at conception and that life has a voice that deserves to be heard whether we want to hear it or not. Whether we like it or not. Whether we care or not. I take a hard stance on the issues of abortion and adoption ... the two key elements of this film ... because, as most of you have heard me spout before, 42 children have called me "daddy": two biological boys and 40 foster kids; from the 40 foster kids we adopted eight, five of them are still at home. So, I can speak credibly to the issues at hand in this emotionally powerful film. And will. Boldly. Unashamedly. I can tell you with certainty that the love a father holds for an adopted child he raised is just as strong as his love for a biological child. Tonya, one of my adopted children, an 18 year old girl, is moving out on her own just today (last night was her last night here where it is safe) and it hurts just as much as when my biological kids struck out into the big bad world on their own. Note that the movie is followed by Shari's Story during the rolling credits in which Shari Rigby (who played Cindy Hastings, Hannah's biological mother) tells of her own experience with abortion. This analysis does not include that almost equally moving piece. Following are brief discussions of the content per individual content investigation area. As always the Findings section of this report, the heart of the CAP Analysis Model, is the best source for discovering the full accounting of the content of this film. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - 84 out of 100 The content that applies to this content investigation area includes a portrayal of Hannah suffering an asthma and epileptic attack, Hannah's journal entries about contemplating suicide plus an evident contemplation of suicide while setting on a dock. In addition, it was very risky for Hannah to walk the roads of Alabama alone at night. Finally, Hannah and Jason commit a breaking and entering of a hospital. Impudence/Hate (I) - 67 out of 100 Here is where the concentration of content lies, enough content to warrant a yellow CAPCon Alert light indicating the need of your sober attention to the contents revealed by this report prior to deciding on which age stratum this film is fit. Content includes portrayal of lying, deception, a minor teen tantrum, social hatefulness borne of jealousy and a rather graphic discussion of abortion but no display of it. However the strongest content was the repeated displays of disrespect toward fair authority, parental in particular. [Heb. 13:17] Sexual Immorality (S) - 93 out of 100 The only content that applies to this investigation area is the night Jason and Hannah spent in the motel. Granted, "nothing" happened but that nothing happened does not excuse cohabitation. It is less likely that two teens in a motel room will be chaste than yielding to powerful drives. Even Hanna started talking about sexual immoral behavior to Jason from her bed. Finally, one scene was noted in which the camera slowly panned up from Hannah's feet to her head while she was walking. Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 93 out of 100 One of the troupe travelling to New Orleans with Jason and Hanna was Truman (Austin Johnson). He was seen in a hangover from alcohol intoxication. But there is not one possession, consumption or even reference to illegal drugs or abuse of prescription drugs. And no tobacco. Offense to God (O) - 100 out of 100 God's name is not abused even once in the entire 101.9 minutes of programming. Nor is there any witchcraft, sorcery, occultism, Satanism or other such unholy practices. Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 There are no murders or suicides portrayed. While there are a number of moments in which suicide is referred to, this investigation area incorporates only portrayal of completed murder or suicide. Attempts at or contemplations of murder or suicide (and deaths by police action, war or defensive killing) are incorporated into the Wanton Violence/Crime investigation area. 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 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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(The objective heart of the CAP Analysis Model, independent of and insulated from the Summary / Commentary section.)   Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - 84 out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - 67 out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - 93 out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 93 out of 100 Offense to God (O) - 100 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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| For G rated Films with G equivalence: G PG equivalence: PG-G PG-13 equivalence: 13-G R equivalence: R-G< | For PG rated Films with G equivalence: G-PG PG equivalence: PG PG-13 equivalence: 13-PG R equivalence: R-PG | For PG-13 rated Films with G equivalence: G-13 PG equivalence: PG(13) PG-13 equivalence: PG-13 R equivalence: R-13 | For R rated Films with G equivalence: G-R PG equivalence: PG-R PG-13 equivalence: 13-R R equivalence: R | For NR rated Films with G equivalence: G-NR PG equivalence: PG-NR PG-13 equivalence: 13-NR R equivalence: R-NR |
