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At Christian Spotlight on the Movies, Douglas Downs attempts a different approach: "Can I say anything positive about this movie? Jake Gyllenhall (October Sky) is very convincing as the naïve boy trapped in a bubble. He does make the most of what he has been given to work with. My grade for his skill in this very unfortunate role is an A+. The character of Chloe does give a strong message of abstinence. This may seem like a contradiction to the gross moral condition of this film. These two positive notes are eclipsed by one of the worst movies I have seen this year."

Focus on the Family's Lindy Beam doesn't see the film as specifically targeting Christian spirituality: "Everyone's beliefs are as 'comically' stereotypical as possible. Depictions of religions other than Christianity can't possibly be seen as proselytizing, since they're all done in a mocking tone. And at the end, almost everyone abandons his own traditions, making the point … that none of this religious mumbo-jumbo (including Christianity) really matters anyhow." She quotes a fellow believer: "'If you start messing with Jesus, I'm going to be on your case. But if you satirize Christians, I'm probably going to agree with you.' I thought this an astute observation, because satire often contains elements of truth. Christians ought to strive to be winsome. When the world pegs us as legalistic, superstitious and fearful, we should be honest enough to evaluate our lives and weed out any lurking legalism, superstition and fear."

Indeed, artists sometimes misrepresent Christianity, and when they do we should indeed respond appropriately. But when the things that they lampoon are indeed weaknesses, such as legalism, hypocrisy, judgmentalism, or self-righteousness, we had better take note. Popular entertainment is a sorely distorted mirror of the truth, but it is still a mirror. We should pay close attention to see what—or who—we are reflecting.

Copyright © 2001 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

American Pie 2 , Rush Hour 2, The Others, Rat Race, The Princess Diaries, Captain Corelli's Manolin, and Planet of the Apes.

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August (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45