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A service to His little ones (which includes at-home teens) through you, their parents and grandparents, in His name by His Word MAR23010 Chicago (2002), PG-13 Analysis Date: January 26, 2003 CAP Score: 25 CAP Influence Density: 1.81 MinMax: -75 |
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Production: Miramax Films Distribution: Miramax Films Director(s): Rob Marshall Producer(s): Jennifer Berman, Don Carmody, Sam Crothers, Julie Goldstein, Neil Meron, Meryl Poster, Marty Richards, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Craig Zadan Written by/Screenplay: Maurine Dallas Watkins (play Chicago), Fred Ebb & Bob Fosse (musical Chicago), Bill Condon (screenplay) Cinematography/Camera: Dion Beebe Music: Danny Elfman, John Kander Film Editing: Martin Walsh Casting: Ali Farrell, Laura Rosenthal Production Design: John Myhre Art Direction: Andrew M. Stearn Viewed At: AMC - Hulen, Ft. Worth, Texas Chicago is no more PG-13 than I am 13 years old. Graphic gunfire murder. God's name in vain with the four letter expletive one more time than without [Deut. 5:11]. The three/four letter word vocabulary 24 times [Prov. 8:13, Col. 3:8]. (Still wonder why kids in school talk that way?) Stripping for sex. Intercourse with no nudity but with sounds (brief upper female nudity comes later) [Gal. 5:19, Rev. 22:15]. Drinking booze [Prov. 20:1]. Smoking in many scenes. Vulgar dance moves, dress and posture [Rev. 21:8, Rev. 22:15]. Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is on top of the 1920s Vaudeville scene. Dancing and prancing her way into lots of money and fame. Roxanne 'Roxie' Hart (Renée Zellweger) wants a piece of it. The lights. The fame. The money. The applause. Roxie wants it and will do just about anything to get it, including pay for such an opportunity with sex even though she's married. Along comes Fred Casely (Dominic West) with promises of connections with the local jazz club. Roxie fell for his charm and promises and gives of herself to him. But when the sobriety of morning returns, Casely slams Roxie against the wall as she tries to push herself on him to win his approval. Picking herself up off the floor, Roxie grabs her husband's gun and wastes Casely and poor little vulnerable Roxie is readied by the police for carting off to the slammer. Coming home before the police get there her simple and sweet husband, Amos (John C. Reilly) takes the fall and tells the police he killed Casely for forcing himself on his wife. But tight comes to tighter and Roxie fesses up to what she had done. In Murderer's Row, Roxie meets face to face the famous Velma Kelly who had punched .38 caliber holes in both her husband and her sister as they lie together ... intimately. Roxie also meets face-to-face the intimidating (for good reasons) prison matron 'Mamma' Morton (Queen Latifah). Through the help of Mamma Morton, both Velma and Roxie are connected with slick and smooth lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) with promises to both to make them so appealing to the public that no jury in the land would convict either of murder. But Billy wants $5000.00. No problem for Velma but Roxie doesn't have anywhere near that kind of money. Amos even offers to pay $20.00 per week for him to defend Roxie. But no. Billy wants $5000.00 up front. Plus unspoken benefits, unspoken to Amos anyway. Billy has never lost a case of defending a woman. Flynn promises to create such media frenzy that public empathy will reign and both will go scott-free. Flynn even manufactures a pregnancy for Roxie to woo the public. Or maybe it was Roxie who did that? She learned quickly from Flynn how to manipulate the media. Which brings up another point that the movie portrayed well -- that the media can be controlled which in turn controls the legal system. Oh, the games we play! Seamlessly mixed in with the storyline are several song-and-dance routines by the key players. Even Gere sings and dances, at least he tries. Who would have thought the hulking "Murph" in The Perfect Storm, John C. Reilly could sing! But he does and it is a warm and heart-tugging rendition of his story in the plot. Too bad most of the songs are about killing and immorality. A few of the scenes and subplots in Chicago are indeed tender and touching, but many are not. There is graphic gunfire murder [Rev. 22:15, Rev. 21:8], adulterous intercourse but with no nudity [1Cor. 7:2], very revealing dress, a hanging, and vulgar dance moves much like the ones that cost John the Baptist his head. There is much more to concern parents and grandparents. Please look to the listing in the Findings/Scoring section. It is completely objective to His Word. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ]. 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. ***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. |
 Wanton Violence/Crime (W): Impudence/Hate (I)(1): Sex/Homosexuality (S): Drugs/Alcohol (D): Offense to God (O)(2): Murder/Suicide (M)(3): |
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| NOTE: While the Summary/Commentary section of these reports is precisely that -- a summary in commentary format which can be and sometimes is subjective, the actual CAP Analysis Model (the Findings/Scoring section) makes no scoring allowances for trumped-up "messages" to excuse, for manufacture of justification for, or camouflaging of ignominious content or aberrant behavior or imagery with "redeeming" programming. Disguising sinful behavior in a theme/plot does not excuse the sinful behavior of either the one who is drawing pleasure or example of behavior or thought from the sinful display or of the practitioners demonstrating the sinful behavior. We make no attempt to quantify the "artistic" or "entertainment" value of a movie -- whether a movie has any positive value or "entertainment" value is up to mom/dad. The CAP analysis model is the only known set of tools available to parents and grandparents which give *them* the control they need, bypassing the opinion-based assessment of movies by others and defeating the deceit of those who would say anything to convince their parents otherwise. The model is completely objective to His Word. Our investigation standards are founded in the teachings and expectations of Jesus Christ. If a sinful behavior is portrayed, it is called sinful whether Hollywood tries to make it otherwise. That the sinful behavior is "justified" by some manufactured conditions does not soften nor erase the price of sin. Whether there is application of fantasy "justification" or "redemption" is up to mom/dad. |
| "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 more than eight 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. |
