I’ve been house-sitting this week so I have access to movies that aren’t mine (I love people with great movie collections). They owned the movie 27 Dresses which I hadn’t seen, had heard some good things about it, and wanted to check it out. But I also learned to always watch movies with a critical eye – looking for the worldviews in it and how it differs from God’s worldview that He gives us in Scripture. So, I sat down in the lazy-boy with my steno pad and pen – and pressed play.
This is what got on paper:
- Weddings are more important than marriage.
- There was a woman minister in one of the weddings that the main character was a bridesmaid in- (this denies a complementarian viewpoint. You could also see this viewpoint in some of the relationships in the movie and random comments made throughout.)
- Competition and sex is what it all boils down to in the lives of these characters.
- They mocked 1 Corinthians 13.
- Kevin (Malcolm) actually had the divorce rate correct – (which is also sad.)
- The statement “marriage isn’t always easy” is true.
- The girly notion of number 1 and longingly looking at the wedding announcement page in the newspaper.
- Guys- its all about getting laid.
- Women try too hard to win the guy’s hearts (and again, we are back to the complementarian thing about men leading in relationships)
- Relationships are built on lies (however, this comes to light before the wedding takes place, which is one redeeming quality – although not in the way she does it).
- It’s OK to wallow in self-pity.
- We clearly see “rebound” dating – using the other guy
- Love is all sentiment (love is an action and choice)
- Getting drunk always helps, and dancing on bar tops, which understandably leads to sex (hint of sarcasm)
- “Last legal form of slavery” (what happened to marriage for the glory of God?)
- Destroying someone else doesn’t make you feel better.
- It isn’t always better being someone else.
- Girls take lead in commitment (again, complementarian is completely wrecked).
I hope this inspires you to think more about the movies you watch. I love chick flicks with the best of them. But, I know they are so not a picture of the real world. I read once that chick flicks are female porn. Maybe not porn for guys (sexual) but porn for women – we want the sweep you off your feet, bring me roses, call me right away, talk to me for hours, drop dead gorgeous guy who buys me things – and watching chick flicks makes us want that – instead of maybe what we do have – or what God has planned for us.
Do I still watch chick flicks – yes – but now I watch them with an eye for what is false and hope to pick out something redeeming in them.
