In the movie You Can Count On Me, a churchgoing single mother named Samantha welcomes her prodigal brother Terry home to the small town in which they grew up. Terry is somewhat untrustworthy, prone to bar-hopping and fistfights, and he uses very bad language in front of his nephew. The story follows how Terry eventually, with "baby steps," learns to live with a little more integrity, and how Samantha's conscience provokes her to seek counsel for her own private sins. She asks her local priest, "What is the Church's official position these days on fornication?" Pastor Ron, brow furrowed, replies, "Well … it's a sin." "Good!" she exclaims. "It should be!"
Many avoided seeing You Can Count On Me, no doubt because it is Rated "R." Some will steer clear because, among other things, the film includes some foul language … mostly the fault of Terry, its roguish ugly duckling. For numerous critics, myself included, You Can Count On Me was one of the more beautiful and profound films of 2000, a deeply moving story about recovering sinaholics. (It also contained two of the best performances of the year.) Should we have abstained from the film because of Terry's swearing? We might ask Pastor Ron, "What's the Church's official position on cussing?" "Well," he'd say, "It's a sin." "But should we stay away from movies when we might hear it? Shouldn't moviemakers quit putting swearing in their movies?"
Last week, critics and readers raised their voices on whether onscreen nudity is or is not appropriate … and if it is, how, when, and where "proper" use is distinguished. (You can read a follow-up at the end of today's column.) Next week, we'll move on to the subject of foul language. Some press STOP when they hear a swear word on their movie rental. Others don't. Write to me with your thoughts. Is profanity ever appropriate in popular media? How does the Bible inform your view? Do parents have special responsibilities in these matters?
Hot From The Oven
Jurassic Park 3 was a sure financial success. (It's made $81.4 million at this writing, six days after opening.) People love dinosaurs; no matter how poor the script, they'll line up to see prehistoric monsters stomp through the woods and chase people. I admit it: I'm a sucker for the genre. I love the amusement-park thrill of being scared, and there's something healthy about recognizing ourselves as we run screaming from the very trouble our own god complexes can set in motion. (My full review is online at Looking Closer.) For most audiences, though, the biggest suspense about JPIII is whether there is enough amusement in the Park.
Naysayers had T-Rex-sized complaints. Carrie Rostollan at Christian Spotlight on the Movies walked in saying, "Please let this movie be something more than eye candy." She was disappointed. "JPIII falls flat, simply a vehicle for a long string of action sequences with no memorable moments. It's less preachy about evolution, but it doesn't find anything new to say, either." Movie Parables' Michael Elliott was disappointed as well: "As action-packed as JPIII is, it lacks the dramatic tension to produce the requisite scares that the genre demands." (Elliott uses this as a launching point for some interesting ideas about how dinosaurs might have fit into the pattern of creation.) Megan Lenz at The Phantom Tollbooth demands more plausibility from her summer rollercoaster: "Are we really to believe that the collective governments, armies and scientists of the world are allowing dinosaurs to run amok on various islands in the Pacific? Are we really to believe that the members of the original Jurassic Park posse will continually and voluntarily get within spitting distance of said islands?"
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