Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Knocked Up

Yesterday, Pan's Labyrinth came from Netflix -- yep, I finally got to see it. That's how I usually get to see movies, via the 'Flix. Anyway, I like that movie, and am thinking about showing it in my mythology class in the spring, but I was wondering (because I evilly do wonder such things) how the far Right Xtians had reacted to all the mythic elements in it, so I hopped over to the Christian movie review site (We Do The Thinking So You Don't Have To) for a look.

While I was there, I thought I'd see what they thought of Knocked Up too.

I'm curious about this, of course, because of the mixed readings on that movie I'm getting, both on the Right and the Left. mr. delagar and I went out on a date last Friday night to see it (we had a date! how sweet! because the kid is gone we can do that) and I had heard nothing about the movie, never even heard of it, because I'm a cultural idiot, apparently, but mr. delagar, who isn't, said the NYTimes said it rocked, so we went, and we liked it, ANYWAY, where was I?

Mixed readings. Right. And on the RIGHT, we have YAY! Pro-Life. But why is it so mean to men? Must be the war on boys!

And on the LEFT we have why is it so UNREALISTIC and ANTI-CHOICE? (No, not everyone. Because it's obviously not anti-choice to show a woman making a choice, which is what the movie does, duh. And, as someone, I think it was Amanda over at Pandagon, pointed out, the movie clearly shows that she can only make this choice, to keep the child, because she is in an environment where she can keep the child: she lives with her sister and her sister's husband who can help her raise the child, she has a job, she had health insurance, she's got resources.)

Anyway, so: I go over here

http://christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2007/knockedup2007.html

to see what the Xtians have to say.

(1) They are shocked, shocked at a. LANGUAGE! all the F words and even the C word, not to mention other "moderate" language and appalling "jokes" and "talk" and "discussions" of S-e-X! and then! then! (b) pictures and POSTERS! of nudie people! and also! (c) drug use! Lots of drug use! Onscreen drug use! and no one repents! and (d) drinking and drunken behavior and (e) hookers -- well, okay, this one bothered me, too. WHICH!!

(2) Is a shame because the movie had at its core a good message, and promoted strong morals. The woman decides to have the baby! The man takes responsibility and is there for her! He straightens out his life, gets a job, gets his own place! They do the right thing! BUT!!

(3) No one goes to church or prays or calls on Jesus! (The Xtians seems to have missed the fact that Ben Stone is a Jew. Well.) How can this be? How can people be acting right withou a God standing over them with a stick making them act right? What a fucking puzzler. Jeez.

Here's a quotation from the site:
"As for direct spiritually related content, this film is devoid of any—surprising considering the previously mentioned themes present throughout."

Yes, because, you know, without God there is no Good.

All we atheists, we can't figure out on our own that we should do what's useful and not do what isn't.

Takes some invisible sky-bunny to point that out.

Here's what I liked about Knocked up, BTW: The people in it acted like people do. Not like political action figures do. Not like positions in a debate do. In my experience, people will do what they want to do if they can do it. That's what's going on here.

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