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Reel World Reality 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 MAR2012.017  (2011), PG-13 [HARD R-13*] (96.5min) 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 1300 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.)
 Production (US): Imagine Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Relativity Media Distribution (US): Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Director(s): Brett Ratner Producer(s): Bill Carraro. Karen Sherwood, Brian Grazer, Eddie Murphy, Kim Roth Story by: Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Ted Griffin Screenplay by: Ted Griffin, Jeff Nathanson Cinematography/Camera: Dante Spinotti Music: Christophe Beck Film Editing: Mark Helfrich Casting: Kathleen Chopin Production Design: Kristi Zea Viewed on Universal Pictures Home Entertainment DVD This is the lowest scoring PG-13 of the 698 PG-13 films we have analyzed over the years. Tower Heist earned a zero content investigation area score in four of the six CAP content investigation areas. All investigation areas but Murder/Suicide found content to be R-equivalent, not in intensity or extremeness but in the sheer number of examples of assault on morality and decency. This resulted in a final score of 20 out of 100! Films in the comparative baseline database rated R earned final scores of 54 and below out of 100. The content of this film is about as R-13 as PG-13 can get. Wealthy, or at least once wealthy Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) lived in the penthouse of The Tower, the highest priced apartment real estate anywhere that went for an average of $5.6 million. Shaw even owned one of the race cars driven by Steve McQueen, a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso worth $1,000,000 ten years ago and had it reassembled in his living room on the 65th floor. Out of concern for the future of his staff, Josh Marvin Kovaks (Ben Stiller), the building general manager, solicited Shaw to invest the pension portfolios of The Tower staff to triple their value at maturity. But Shaw swindled the pension funds and all the staff had no retirement income. Kovaks was the one who solicited Shaw to make the investments and felt that he was the one who lost the staff their pension. Bound and determined to restore the pension funds, Kovaks launched a theft campaign to steal what he expected to be $20,000,000 from a secret safe in Shaw's penthouse. Instead, what was found had an estimated worth of $45,000,000, give or take $10,000,000. This is a clever and well made film with engaging flow and a star-studded cast of experienced performers but it is filthy with assaults on morality and decency. No matter how pretty the package, the content is moral poison. Following are brief discussions of the content per individual content investigation area. As always the Findings section of this report, the heart of the CAP Analysis Model, is the best source for discovering the full accounting of the content of this film. Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 Subjectively speaking, there is nothing particularly graphic or intense about the violence or crime content found by this investigation area, but there are so many of them, so many pieces and parts to the violence/crime content that the total package is equivalent in magnitude to many R-rated films. To try to even summarize the violence content here would require to much space and would not be feasible. I ask that you inspect the listing in the Findings section that provides a full accounting of the violence/crime findings. But what is feasible is to share with you what God has to say about violence. He speaks darkly of violence more than 50 times from Genesis to Revelation. One verse I find particularly explanatory is Proverb 16:29 in which God warns that violence can be "catching": that violence can lead one into the path that is not good. And finally man has echoed God's warnings about violence by four professional public health agencies publishing findings which warn that viewing violence in and as entertainment can, among other things, especially for the young, lead to real life violence and lead the viewer to believe violence is an acceptable means of settling conflict. Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 There are 94 uses of profanity in the 96.5 minutes of programming. That is 0.98 uses of profanity per minute! In any reasonable mathematical rounding that is one use of profanity per minute since 0.02 minute is 1.2 seconds and many of the uses of profanity took more than 1.2 seconds to speak them. Ever wonder why so many adolescents use filthy language? Entertainment such as this is one of the reasons [Rom. 5:19]. The "profane babblings" content [Col.3:8, Eph. 4:29, 2 Tim. 2:16, Prov. 22:11] was more than enough to steal all the 100 starting points of this investigation area but there are a number of other matters of impudence and/or hatred such as lying, ordering to lie, offering to lie [Rev. 21:8] and adolescent disrespect of fair authority [1 Tim. 5:1]. Sexual Immorality (S) - 17 out of 100 The film is filled with sexual innuendo, crude anatomical references and presents a long discourse about lesbians and lesbianism. When Shaw was taken into prison most of the men in it howled sexual interest in him. Dressing to maximize the female form and/or skin exposure was noted twice, one of those women was used as a toy or an ornament for a married man. Sex talk and intercourse slang topped off the loss of 83 of the starting 100 points in this investigation area. [1 Thess. 4:1 - 5] Drugs/Alcohol (D) - Zero out of 100 Alcohol. Drinking of it. Drunkenness. It is all there. Tea Leoni as Agent Claire Denham asks Josh "You wanna get drunk?" One of the cohorts, Odessa (Gabourney Sidibe) ties to drug on of the FBI agents. This is a PG-13 film which is a lure for adolescents. Drinking and drunkenness in their entertainment are specific dangers according to the American College of Physicians (ACP). In 2002, the ACP published their findings which reveal that adolescent exposure to drinking in and as entertainment undeniably leads to abuse of alcohol among underage viewers. The report 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 in their entertainment diets. Within the ACP study population, the prevalence of having tried alcohol without parental knowledge was There is nothing to say that viewing smoking in and as entertainment does not carry the same danger of influence as viewing drinking. Actually, the same matter of behavior implantation applies to any behavior demonstrated in and as entertainment, including good behavior. Offense to God (O) - Zero out of 100 God's name is abused 15 times, 6 of them with the four letter expletive. When God warns us about abuse of His name He does not specify whether abuse of His name with the four letter expletive is worse than without it. So, "technically" speaking, it doesn't matter to the sin of using His name in vain whether you use the four letter expletive or not. It is man's values that makes using His name with the four letter expletive offensive while just using His name alone is not. By His Word, anyone who uses His name in vain, with or without the four letter expletive, including that adolescent-popular three syllable sentence with His name tailing it (see the Scriptural reference below), will not he held guiltless. [Deut. 5:11] Murder/Suicide (M) - 100 out of 100 There are no portrayals of murder or suicide of any kind in the entire 96.5 minutes of the show. 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 --> Children who see a lot of violence are more likely to view violence as an effective way of settling conflicts. Children exposed to violence are more likely to assume the acts of violence are acceptable behavior. --> Viewing violence can lead to emotional desensitization towards violence in real life. It can decease the likelihood that one will take action on behalf of a victim when violence occurs. --> Entertainment violence feeds a perception that the world is a violent and mean place. Viewing violence increases fear of becoming a victim of violence, with a resultant increase in self-protective behavior and a mistrust of others. --> Viewing violence may lead to real life violence. Children exposed to violent programming at a young age have a higher tendency for violent and aggressive behavior later in life than children who are not so exposed. Further, God speaks darkly of violence 56 times in the Old and New Testament of the KJV.] 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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(The objective heart of the CAP Analysis Model, independent of and insulated from the Summary / Commentary section.)   Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100 Impudence/Hate (I) - Zero out of 100 Sexual Immorality (S) - 17 out of 100 Drugs/Alcohol (D) - Zero out of 100 Offense to God (O) - Zero 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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| For G rated Films with G equivalence: G PG equivalence: PG-G PG-13 equivalence: 13-G R equivalence: R-G< | For PG rated Films with G equivalence: G-PG PG equivalence: PG PG-13 equivalence: 13-PG R equivalence: R-PG | For PG-13 rated Films with G equivalence: G-13 PG equivalence: PG(13) PG-13 equivalence: PG-13 R equivalence: R-13 | For R rated Films with G equivalence: G-R PG equivalence: PG-R PG-13 equivalence: 13-R R equivalence: R | For NR rated Films with G equivalence: G-NR PG equivalence: PG-NR PG-13 equivalence: 13-NR R equivalence: R-NR |
