Where Do Movies Cross the Line…For You?
Author: DavidJones // Category: Ethics, Movies, Pop Culture, Youth Culture
Several months ago I was alarmed when I heard that Kevin Smith was coming out with a new movie entitled Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Apparently, the first cut of the movie was so extreme, the MPAA originally gave it an NC-17 rating. After a few edits and lots of begging, Kevin Smith finally got the MPAA to reluctantly give the movie an R rating.
Many critics felt the movie would never make it big in theaters. In fact, the movie was having trouble advertising on billboards and daytime television because of its title. However, thanks in part to the casting of Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks, the movie had a huge opening weekend.
Take notice of what Plugged In Online (Focus on the Family) said about the inspiration for the movie:
What was Smith’s inspiration for his “scathingly funny and sweetly romantic” movie that so appeals to “the rest of us”? In his words, “I’m a morning porn peruser, and not for the titillation factor. I just find it interesting. I’ll go read Google News, I’ll go read Guardian UK, go read our website, and then, if I’ve got nothing else, I will just peruse porn sites, because it’s an ever-expanding world. Just when you think you’ve seen the most outlandish clip you could ever see, somebody introduces something new. I just check in periodically just to see how far porn has gone in my absence.”
It won’t surprise many to hear the movie contains over 200 uses of the f-word and graphic scenes of nudity. [Editor's note: I did not and will not see this movie. I am taking my information from Plugged In.]
Despite tons of profanity, nudity, and sexual content, millions of dollars are being made by this movie, and many of those dollars are coming from Christians.
So let me ask you this: Where does a movie cross the line for you?
Do you think a Christian has every right to see a movie like this? Would you argue that the movie portrays normal life and it is actually helping you understand culture? Do you ignore the immorality and judge the movie only on aesthetic value?
Would you argue that this type of movie in no way effects your mind, your speech, your view of women, and your view of sex? Is it possible these types of movies do not desensitize its watchers?
Do you make up excuses and justify things to yourself just so you watch a movie that you think looks funny or entertaining?
Tags: Kevin Smith, Morality, Movies, MPAA, Plugged In Online, Zack and Miri
November 7th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Those who say that watching sex on TV or in the movies doesn’t impact them in a negative way or wrong. Check out this article:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/03/health/main4564612.shtml
November 7th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Sorry. I meant “are wrong” instead of “or wrong.”
November 7th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
I ain’t gonna lie… i love kevin smith movies… i’m going to see it.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I’m not sure what bothers me more
- that some Christians have fooled themselves into thinking that what they allow into their minds doesn’t affect them (I guess Jesus didn’t know what He was talking about)
- that they know it affects them and they really don’t care (entertainment is more important than purity),
- or that, as you pointed out, much of this smut is being financed by “Christian dollars” (how’s that for good stewardship?).
November 7th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Mr. Forlines has a really good chapter on things like this in his ethics book. It talks about how we think we’re not wrong by watching others sin, because we’re not actually sinning ourselves. But by watching or by even laughing it is impossible to abhor it, which is what the Bible calls for Christians to do.
He also discusses the switch we have to turn off in order to watch things we shouldn’t. It’s like we have to become a totally different person than we are when we’re discussing Biblical or theological issues. It’s like we turn off the “christian” in us. It doesn’t work that way. We have to judge everything by the Bible and be a Christian even when it means saying no to a very funny movie that would force us to choose between the “christian” us and the “normal” us.
As far as where I draw the line, it’s hard to say. To be honest, I think we all play the weighing game. As long as the clean parts of a movie outweigh the bad, we’re okay with it. As long as it just has this and not that it’s okay. We could probably all afford an adjustment in our gauge.
November 9th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
What would our homes, our churches, and our country look like if this crazy counter-cultural thing called Christianity was truly influencing those who claim to be apart of it?
November 10th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I’ll be honest, I’ve watched some movies clearly for the basis of seeing what all the hoopla is about that teenagers are making. This is one movie I can simply say it is wrong to see based on the title.
I have watched movies, solely for the purpose of knowing what is in it so when it comes up with some of my teens or whatnot, I can point out the wrongs in it, instead of relying upon the internet sources to tell me it makes a fart joke in it.
But, in this case, I’m pretty sure that any person who sees it for the reason listed above, is justifying why to see it. There are obvious red flags that go up at the title, that should automatically win an argument with people as to why they shouldn’t watch it.