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Entertainment Media Analysis Report
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MAR27063

(2007), PG [PG*] (1hr 40min)

Final Score
Analysis Date
Date Posted
Influence Density
MinMax
11/20/07
11/21/07
77
0.41
-37

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Christian Long Distance

SUMMARY / COMMENTARY:
(While the Scriptural references are certainly not subjective, my commentary may be and sometimes is somewhat subjective.)

If Scriptural references appear, the full text appears at the end of the Summary / Commentary.



(2007), PG [PG*] ... falls squarely in the middle of the scoring range earned by PG movies ...


Cast/Crew Details Courtesy Internet Movie Database
Production (US): Andalasia Productions, Steiner Studios, James Baxter Animation, Josephson Entertainment, Sonnenfeld Josephson Worldwide Entertainment, Walt Disney Pictures
Distribution (US): Walt Disney Pictures
Director(s): Kevin Lima
Producer(s): Christopher Chase, Barry Josephson, Jill Morris, Sunil Perkash, Jason Reed, Ron Rocha, Doug Short, Barry Sonnenfeld, Ezra Swerdlow
Written by: Bill Kelly
Cinematography/Camera: Don Burgess
Music: Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz
Film Editing: Gregory Perler, Stephen A. Rotter
Casting: John Papsidera, Marcia Ross, Susan Shopmaker
Production Design: Stuart Wurtzel
Art Direction: John Kasarda
Viewed At: Driftwood Theater 6


Enchanted  is a feel-good romantic musical comedy rated PG with some nice, comfortable moments. But it does have some morality teeth. It is, after all, rated PG. Some of the teeth include excessive cleavage and some action violence with attempt to murder by poison apple by the evil queen. But fortunately there were no uses of profanity noted.

We've all heard the sleeping story before but it is now with a new twist and new names. "Sleeping Beauty" is Giselle (Amy Adams) from the fantasy land of Andalasia (I wonder if the production company Andalasia Productions had anything to do with the name). Giselle wants to marry her true love, the handsome Prince Edward (James Marsden), the stepson of the evil witch queen, Narissa (Susan Sarandon). Marrying the Prince would make Giselle the next queen. Not wanting that to happen, to keep the two apart the evil queen Narissa has Prince Edward off hunting trolls. But the very next day Giselle and Edward meet and vow to marry.

During the wedding ceremony Narissa forcibly banishes Giselle to the far, far away land of New York City. Being the hero he is, Prince Edward follows Giselle to rescue her. But it gets worse than that. Queen Narissa threatens to kill Giselle, first by poison apple with the help of Nathaniel (Timothy Spall, a.k.a Wormtail of Harry Potter - Azkaban) then by killing Giselle herself. Nathaniel is Edward's aide who secretly works for the evil queen in an attempt to win her heart. On a sidebar note, Nathaniel reveals another tidbit regarding the influence of the entertainment industry: addiction to soap operas.

The man in the poster is not Prince Edward. It is divorced divorce attorney Robert Phillip (Patrick Dempsey), fiancé of Nancy Tremaine (Idina Menzel). At least her fiancé for the most part of the film. Robert is thoroughly convinced the world is hateful and that "happily ever after" never happens. It is Robert who comes to Giselle's "rescue" in NYC.

When Giselle arrives in the real world New York City, she ultimately becomes connected with Robert and his six year old daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey). Morgan becomes attached to Giselle but Robert tries to keep himself distant from her since Giselle appears to be a candidate for a mental hospital. At least until she runs her fingers through his chest hair.

There is more to the story but since this report is being posted on opening day, I will not spoil any more of it. To hopefully appeal to contemporary audiences, this film provides a mid-stream shift from the age-old "Once upon a time..." style to the ethics of the modern world. While an interesting and innovative attempt, it just doesn't seem to succeed. It seems to leave a bad taste in the nostalgia mouth to redefine a tried and true story, making the remake somewhat empty of any connection to the past. But if viewed as a new story, Enchanted  provides a sometimes delightful cinematic romp that might help some develop a more positive outlook at life. At least for a little while.

By the way, the chipmunk standing on top of the "D" in "Enchanted" on the poster is Pip (Jeff Bennett and Kevin Lima). He comes from the enchanted forest from which Giselle came. Pip probably does more to glue the story together than even the lead character.

With a final score of 77 Enchanted falls squarely in the middle of the scoring range earned by PG movies (68 to 86 out of 100) in the comparative baseline database. The MPAA says this film is worthy of Parental Guidance (PG) due to scary images and mild innuendo. But what about all the excess cleavage? What about the sword threats? What about the homosexual implication? Well, the MPAA evidently does not considers these (and other) things as worthy of mentioning. We do. We tell you about the behavior demonstrations and imagery that fly in the face of God's perfect and inerrant Word so you  might be in a better position to make an informed moral decision about for which age stratum, if any, this movie is fit. We tell you what is there ... you decide.

Wanton Violence/Crime (W)
In the beginning the giant troll (Fred Tatasciore) which Edward tries to catch later tries to catch and eat Giselle. As Giselle arrives in NYC the traffic becomes a voracious monster for her. A homeless man steals Giselle's crown as she tries to befriend him. Edward threatens a number of New Yorkers with his sword, once to the throat of a sanitation worker. He also stabs a bus which nearly slices through an old lady. Narissa plans to kill Giselle first with a poison apple then with her bare hands. A number of action violence sequences top off the violence content of Enchanted.  [Rom. 12:18, Matt. 5:9]

Impudence/Hate (I)
If there is any use of profanity in this film I missed it. And it may be that the cut I saw had been edited of any uses of profanity. Such is a risk that must be tolerated in this "business." Sometimes you don't see the same cut I see. However, some forest critters engage in hateful antics. There are a number of lies and marital argumentation. Flatulence with a defecated chunk and dog urination add to the impudence of this film (on the part of the filmmakers).

Sexual Immorality (S)
The sexually immoral content of this film is limited to excessive cleavage (frequent for the first half of the show) [1Tim. 2:9, 1Cor. 12:23 - 24], a woman scampering out of a shower with flashes of skin not normally seen and a homosexual implication [1Cor. 6:9-10]. Giselle portrays sexual awakening by her running her fingers through Robert's chest hair.

Drugs/Alcohol (D)
A couple times alcoholic beverages are seen as is a bar. Also, poison is used to control Giselle. [Eph. 5:18]

Offense to God (O)
Narissa is a witch. She uses evil magic to control and to do harm to others a number of times. She also shape-shifts into a dragon and tries to kill Giselle. [Eph. 4:27, Deut. 18:10 - 12, 2Chr. 33:6]

Murder/Suicide (M)
No murders or suicides were noted.


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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

  • Rom. 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
  • Matt. 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
  • 1Tim. 2:9 I also want women to dress modestly, ...
  • 1Cor. 12:23 - 24 and the [body] parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment....
  • 1Cor. 6:9-10 Do you not know that the [unforgiven] wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
  • Eph. 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. [Since "drunk" is methusko {meth-oos'-ko}: to intoxicate; make drunk; to get drunk; become intoxicated, "wine" can be any intoxicating substance including illegal drugs or abuse of prescription drugs. The issue is do not abuse the body by intoxicating it [1 Cor. 6:19]. Though it is not a sin to drink, it is a sin to get drunk OR to influence to get drunk OR to drink in defiance such as underage drinking. A study by the American College of Physicians (ACP) has found an undeniable, inarguable link between the presentation of alcoholic beverages and tobacco in and as entertainment and abuse of them and arrogance/defiance with them by adolescents.]
  • 1 Cor. 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
  • Eph. 4:27 and do not give the devil a foothold. [Embracing demons and witches in and as entertainment is doing just that.]
  • Deut. 18:10 - 12 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination [witchcraft], or an observer of times [soothsayer, sorceress, conjurer], or an enchanter [diviner, interprets omens], or a witch [one who practices sorcery, magical arts], 11 Or a charmer [user of magic charms, casts spells], or a consulter with familiar spirits [one who communicates with/invokes the dead], or a wizard [one who has a familiar spirit], or a necromancer [consulter of gods]. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. [God sounds so serious about embracing evil that it seems He would include embracing evil even in and as entertainment since it has been proven in so many ways that entertainment can and does influence deeply and contaminate values. Even God agrees with that. (see 1 Cor. 15:33).]
  • 2Chr. 33:6 He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

    ***Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry***
  • Jer. 37:9 This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves, thinking, 'The Babylonians [the destroyers from within] will surely leave us.' They will not!
  • Ps. 12:8 The wicked freely strut about [e.g., create progressively vile/offensive entertainment with impunity and no consequences and present it to younger and younger audiences every year] when what is vile is honored among men [when enough people continue to defend it, embrace it, enjoy it, want it, submit to it. I call attention to Ps. 12:8 to warn of the creeping desensitizing power of "entertainment."]
  • Col. 2:8 Beware lest any man [by his influence] spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
  • 1 Cor. 15:33 Be not deceived: evil [kakov: of a bad nature, not such as it ought to be] communications corrupt good manners.
  • Rom. 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
  • Jude 1:4 For there are certain men* crept in unawares [secretly slipped in among us], who were before of old ordained to this condemnation [whose condemnation was written about long ago], ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness [a license for immorality], and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. [*men: anthropos {anth'-ro-pos}, generic, a human being, whether male or female]
  • Matt. 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
  • Luke 17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. [Offend: skandalizo {skan-dal-id'-zo} - scandalize; to entice to sin; to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey; to cause to fall away.]
  • Ps. 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me [let no sin rule over me].
  • John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
  • 1 Thess. 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. ["Evil" includes all things that are sinful.]


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    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.
  • FINDINGS / SCORING:
    (The objective  heart of the CAP Analysis Model, independent of and insulated from the Summary / Commentary section.)


    Enchanted (2007) CAP Thermometers

    Wanton Violence/Crime (W)
  • animated attack to eat a character
  • action violence, repeatedly
  • theft
  • sword threats
  • planning to kill
  • threats to kill
  • dragon terror

    Impudence/Hate (I)
  • animated mischief
  • lie, repeatedly
  • marital arguing
  • gift of poison
  • dog urination
  • flatulence with defecation of a chunk

    Sexual Immorality (S)
  • excessive cleavage with close-ups, frequent
  • woman in shower nude with flashes of skin not normally seen
  • woman in towel only
  • statue nudity
  • homosexual implication
  • portrayal of sexual awakening of a woman by running her fingers through a man's chest hair

    Drugs/Alcohol (D)
  • booze, twice
  • bar
  • poisoning to control

    Offense to God (O)
  • evil witch, frequent
  • magic to do harm, to shape shift and to control otters, repeatedly
  • two uses of God's name in vain, both without the four letter expletive

    Murder/Suicide (M)
  • none noted














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    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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