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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 MAR29015  (2009), PG [Lite R-PG*] (1hr 25min) 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): Columbia Pictures, Happy Madison Productions, Relativity Media Distribution (US): Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Director(s): Steve Carr Producer(s): Doug Belgrad, Barry Bernardi, Samuel Dickerman, Gino Falsetto, Todd Garner, Jack Giarraputo, Kevin James, Adam Sandler, Jeff Sussman, Jason Taragan, Matthew Tolmach Written by: Kevin James, Nick Bakay Cinematography/Camera: Russ T. Alsobrook Music: Waddy Wachtel Film Editing: Jeff Freeman Casting: Jeanne McCarthy, Anne Mulhall Production Design: Perry Andelin Blake Art Direction: Alan Au Viewed on Sony Pictures Home Entertainment DVD  This analysis is sponsored by the generosity of E&HP. Gunfire to kill, repeatedly. Assault and battery, repeatedly. Abduction of 6 hostages at gunpoint. Armed robbery. Pointing guns at people's faces. Drunkenness. And it is a PG! Originally a PG-13! It is no wonder why the outlook, coping skills and worldly perception of our youth are getting so bitter and uncaring. Who says cartoonish violence is not violence? If a cartoonish act of violence, say, discharging a gun at someone, is emulated and someone gets killed it is no longer cartoonish, is it? Paul Blart (Kevin James) is a security guard for the West Orange Pavilion Mall (set at the Burlington mall, Burlington MA). A multi-floor mall with more than 200 shops in it. He is one of a force of about four. It is the Thanksgiving season and 'Black Friday', the busiest shopping day of the year, is just around the corner. The movie starts by introducing us to divorced Paul as he tries so hard to join the New Jersey State Police force but hypoglycemia keeps him from completing the grueling physical demands. Saddled with failure Paul succumbs to a doldrum life as a security guard. His family, mother (Shirley Knight) and daughter, Maya (Raini Rodriguez), are very sympathetic to Paul's hopes and dreams, even his dream to find 'Ms. Right.' Mom and Maya decide it is time for Paul to not spend one more holiday alone. In spite of his protests and claims that Mom and Maya are enough, they sign up Paul to an online dating service. After all, he promised to let them sign him up ... last year. After several minutes of Paul making his unarmed and bumbling rounds on his Segway he spies Amy (Jayma Mays), an attendant at a new kiosk in the mall. Smitten with her, Paul makes his moves to hit on her. Amy seems to respond once Paul offers Amy a quitting time ride on his Segway to her car. From there the pair meet at All American Joe's for a drink. Paul proceeds to make a drunken idiot of himself as Stuart (Stephen Rannazzisi), a cowardly but arrogant pen salesman, tries to usurp Paul and make him look small and worthless in Amy's eyes. Along comes Veck Sims (Keir O'Donnell), a new security trainee and high school failure who cannot get any other job. Veck blends in well and becomes part of the background. But he has an ulterior motive for becoming a security guard at the West Orange Pavilion Mall ... a $30,000,00 motive. Veck reveals his true intent by staging an armed robbery at the mall. In doing so, he finds himself with 6 hostages, Amy is one of them. By a sequence of unplanned events, Paul remains in the mall. the only one left in the mall except the hostages and robbery gang. Now it is up to Paul to save the day. And he does. How is left up to your discovery if you decide that this video is one to watch in spite of the lite R-PG it earned. For those who are new to the CAP Ministry, "R-PG" means the film earned a final score in the range of scores earned by R-rated films in the comparative baseline database of films. the film is indeed equivalent to many R-rated films in Wanton Violence/Crime (W), Impudence/Hate (I), Drugs/Alcohol (D) and Offense to God (O). It is, however, equivalent to G-rated films in Murder/Suicide and PG films in Sexual Immorality. Note that the film is equivalent to many R-rated films in the indicated areas not because of the intensity or extremeness of any individual demonstrations of sinful acts as much as because of the sheer number of "lesser" of aberrant behavior: because of the magnitude of the sum of the "lesser" acts. Please refer to our publication CAP Rule of 1000 for more information on this film content weighting or loading technique. Following is summarial discussion of the findings in each of the six CAP investigation areas. As alway, the listing in the Findings/Scoring section is the best source of itemized accounting of the content of the film but the following is provided for those who don't like lists. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 Gunfire to kill, repeatedly Assault and battery, repeatedly. Abduction of 6 hostages at gunpoint. Armed robbery. Pointing guns at people's faces. And more! This is not a PG film. The original PG-13 rating would have been closer to the truth about the content, not that "PG-13" is a good thing. It is fraught with violence. God speaks of violence in a dark and disapproving way more than 50 times in the Bible. One of them is Prov. 16:29. Impudence/Hate (I) - 45 out of 100 Six time someone utters profanity [Col. 3:8]. A bunch of kids showing arrogant contempt at fair authority by throwing jump balls at Paul in uniform [1 Peter 5:5]. All the bad guys display massive tattoos [Lev. 19:28]. And lies freckle the script. God is serious about lying. So much so He warns that the unforgiven liar will not have a place in Heaven [Rev. 21:8]. Sexual Immorality (S) - 69 out of 100 Although there was no nudity nor did anybody get in bed with anybody, there is the cursed presence of sexually-oriented material in the form of sexual innuendo, crude humor and a male with no shirt in his bedroom repeatedly. All appears to be put there in a humorous sense but God has told us that such is not a good thing. [Eph. 5:4] Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 53 out of 100 Drinking and drunkenness have deleterious effect on the young, so sayeth the American College of physicians. 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 kids. 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 scientists agreed four years later. The bottom line? The focus is that the 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, Gal. 5:21] Offense to God (O) - 45 out of 100 God's name is used in vain 11 times though each is without the four letter expletive. I suspect we would be wise to not try to think using His name in vain but without the four letter expletive is acceptable. God is not amused by it. [Deut. 5:11] Further, Stuart exemplifies the true meaning of cowardice. He cowers in the face of danger and implicates others to save himself. God does not like that, either. [Again, Rev. 21:8] Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 No murders or suicides were noted in the entire 85 minutes of the 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 ***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) - SCORE out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - SCORE out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - SCORE out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - SCORE out of 100 Offense to God (O) - SCORE out of 100 Murder/Suicide (M) - SCORE 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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