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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 MAR2010-003  (2009), PG-13 [Hard R-13*] (1hr 34min) 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): Fortis Films, Fox 2000 Pictures, Radar Pictures Distribution (US): 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Director(s): Phil Trail Producer(s): Sandra Bullock, Trevor Engelson, Ted Field, Jeffrey Harlacker,Mary McLaglen, Nick Osborne Written by: Kim Barker Cinematography/Camera: Tim Suhrstedt Music: Christophe Beck Film Editing: Rod Dean, Virginia Katz Casting: Juel Bestrop, Seth Yanklewitz Production Design: Maher Ahmad Art Direction: Austin Gorg Viewed 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment DVD  This film analysis is sponsored by the generosity of E&HP. It must be difficult to make a hard R-13 out of a romantic comedy, but Kim Barker, Fortis Films, Fox 2000, Radar Pictures and Phil Trail did it. All About Steve earned R-equivalent scores in three of the six CAP investigation areas: in Impudence/Hate (I) [mostly language], Sexual Immorality (S) [mostly vulgar innuendo] and Offense to God (O) [mostly His name in vain]. Other than that, it is PG- of G-equivalent in Wanton Violence/Crime (W), Drugs/Alcohol (D) and Murder/Suicide (M): W - 72 I - Zero S - Zero D - 82 O - 11 M - 100 (anything 54 and below is R-equivalent) An unusual distribution of assaults on morality and decency. Cruciverbalist Mary Magdalene Horowitz (Sandra Bullcok) is top notch at what she does. As a brilliant and dedicated writer of crossword puzzles for the Sacramento Herald, Mary has no equal. But as a girl on the boy-girl playing field Mary has no life because of her workaholism. Her parents know it -- she is living with them until fumigation of her apartment is finished. Even her boss Solomon (Holmes Osborne) wants Mary to get out and enjoy herself instead of obsessing over crossword puzzles. Mary finds more fulfillment in speaking to an elementary school group than in dating. But mom and dad have other plans for Mary. They want her to have a healthy relationship with a guy so they arrange a blind date for Mary with Steve Muller (Bradley Cooper), a successful cameraman for CCN News reporter Hartman Hughes (Thomas Haden Church). Reluctantly Mary agrees to the blind date. She goes through the motions of preparing for the date with bland attire and even more bland hopes for the date ... until she sees Steve. Mary likey! Mary likey Steve so much she sexually throws herself on him in his SUV in an attempt to have a relationship with Steve. But Steve gets a call and must jet off to Boston on a key assignment. Okay. He has work to do. But Mary is not about to let go of Steve. So she follows him. Just because Steve, in the middle of their romp and roll in his SUV, had told Mary disingenuously that she should go on the road with him. Thinking Steve was sincere, Mary hit the road to collect on Steve's offer. First stop? Tucson, AZ where Steve and Hartman were covering Wild Willy's Ol' Western Town where an employee kidnapped eight fellow workers. Mary's bus took her part way and dumped her at the Halfway House Café just to get her non-stop mouth off the bus. There Mary gets a ride with a trucker to Tucson. But by the time Mary gets to Wild Willy's the kidnapper had surrendered and all were well and the town looked like a ghost town. No Steve. At Wild Willy's, Mary overhears a radio announcement of a baby, Baby Peggy, born with an extremely rare third leg in Oklahoma City. Aside from the newsworthiness of the extremely rare birth defect, news reports as usual dig up dirt and latch onto the schism between the mother and father. Though separated the parents have joint custody. Mom wants the leg removed and the courts back her up but dad wants the third leg left alone. Mary knew this would draw Steve and Hartman to the story like a fly to ... Well, suffice it to say Mary follows Steve over much of the continental southwest to continue her quest to be with him. The last and most effective stop is at the Silver Plume, Colorado Fair where a group of hearing-impaired children get swallowed up by an abandoned mine shaft in a field as they ran across the field to the fair. This is the assignment for which Hartman, now suffering dwindling popularity, was hoping. And, of course, Mary shows up ... and falls in the pit from which all the children but one had been rescued. Here is the only real cinematic climax. But it is not because of any romance but is because of courage and selflessness demonstrated in child rescue. In that, Barker and Company did a good job ... a good job if it were not for the saturation of the film with profanity and sexual matters. For a romantic comedy, this one doesn't make it. If it were not for the quality performances and end-of-film cliamx through rescue that elevate the cinematic experience beyond its profane, impure script, it would be another dud. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - 72 out of 100 All About Steve is not a violent film in the literal sense. The only matters of violence and/or crime were a hit in the face, the mostly hidden hostage situation, storm peril, the couple dozen children falling into the mine shaft and the rescue perils. While each instance is indeed violent/criminal, the only matters of violence by aggression are the hit to the face and the hostage situation (which was portrayed but all we see of it is the S.W.A.T buss). Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Twenty seven times someone spews one of the three/four letter words. And Mary was heard excusing profanity under certain conditions. That is akin to the arrogance of the prostitute saying she's done nothing wrong. [Prov. 30:20] In addition to the tons of profanity, a vulgar gesture was seen once, one character had massive tattoos and Hartman is made great by the story through dishonesty. Sexual Immorality (S) - Zero out of 100 Some little and not so little snippets of poison to our innate sexual humility infect the script and choreography. Throughout. The sexually immoral content would require too much space to even summarize here. Please look to the listing in the Findings/Scoring section (the heart of the CAP Analysis Model) for a complete accounting of the content revealed by this investigation area. As with most modern PG-13 movies and some PG movies, the instances of sexually immoral content in this film are tons of the "lesser" kind that are so many in number that their combined "power" mimic the weight of fewer but more extreme instances of sexual immoral material typically found in R-rated films -- and this film certainly does. See our CAP Rule of 1000 publication for more information on this cinematic technique of loading/weighting the content of a lesser rated film to achieve the "feel" of a more severely rated film without invoking the more severe rating. [Gal. 5:19, Rom. 13:13, Eph. 5:3 -5] Please note that God calls such content eutrapelia, meaning scurrility, ribaldry ... unclean. "Unclean" as used in the above verses is not about being in need of bathing, it is akathartos which means unclean in thought and life: impure, immoral. Being sexually pure takes more than abstaining from physical sexual misdeeds Being sexually pure includes not filling your mind with lustful and debaucherous images and talk which, it turn, cause unclean thoughts-and desires. Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 89 out of 100 Mary speaks of "booger sugar", meaning cocaine. Whether said in a positive or negative way, it is bringing up illegal drugs which plants thoughts and ideas. Other than that, the only instance of content applicable to this investigation area was drinking by a man in the café. Offense to God (O) - 11 out of 100 God is little more than a three letter word in this film. God does not like that. In no uncertain terms. God's name is abused 21 times though each is without the four letter expletive. In one case God is thanked for an opportunity of the sexually impure nature. [Deut. 5:11] Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 No murders. No suicides. 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) - 72 out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - Zero out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 89 out of 100 Offense to God (O) - 11 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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