Table of Contents
OPINION:
The “Migration” trailer looks like good clean feathered fun. But should your family plan on flying off to the theater to see this animated lark? The latest remake of Alice Walker’s famous nove “The Color Purple” once again blends redemptive spiritual themes with all kinds of content concerns. “The Boys in the Boat” offers us an inspirational story that, outside a few issues, glides across the cinematic waters. “The Iron Claw” ends with satisfying catharsis. But getting to that moment in this true wrestling story is a path of emotional cruelty.
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Read on to get Plugged In on what’s beyond the movie titles and trailers for faith-filled and family-first reviews from Focus on the Family’s Plugged In.
Migration – In Theaters
When the holidays roll around, and the kids are all on Christmas break, many a parent will be thinking about some out-of-the-house entertainment. And the local movie theater will be on that shortlist.
But what to watch?
You don’t want anything too racy, too obnoxious, too packed with agenda-driven messages at odds with your worldview. The average parents just want something fun and innocent. It should be colorful enough and short enough to keep everybody’s interest. And maybe offer a cute laugh or two between fistfuls of popcorn.
Illumination Entertainment, the production house behind those yellow, twinkie-looking guys called Minions, believes it has your holiday ticket. And you know what? It might be right.
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“Migration” delivers a colorful animated romp. It swoops in with a little raucous peril and kid-attention-grabbing action, applauding themes like stepping outside your comfort zones, loving your family and helping others. In fact, this pic suggests to young viewers that they are and should be an important part of their family dynamic.
I won’t say that this is the best kids’ film ever made. But it’s sweet, fast paced and family focused. And there aren’t any major bird droppings you’ll need to avoid.
Hey, if you go hit a matinee, you could even land some holiday outing fun, uh, on the cheep.
(Note: Most moviegoers will also see a “Minion”-themed short called “Mooned” that plays before “Migration.” This short contains two exclamations of “oh poop,” a reference to alcohol, comic violence and a dash of toilet humor.)
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
The Boys in the Boat – In Theaters
“The Boys in the Boat” is based on a true story as chronicled in Daniel James Brown’s bestselling (and somewhat spoilery titled) book, “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics.”
It seems an unlikely bestseller — and an unlikely subject for a movie. It’s not like rowing typically makes the prime-time Olympic telecast.
And yet, the story is so inspirational, we can’t help but be drawn to it — much as the nation was drawn to it in 1936. And even though the story focuses on Joe, on the team’s dogged coach, on the various storylines that weave through this narrative tapestry, underneath it all runs that one certain, powerful, beautiful truth.
It’s about the boat.
It’s about those eight men who row together, to turn this sport into, as the boat maker says, poetry. It’s about turning away from I and turning toward we. In a country that prides itself on its individualism, that worships its lone heroes and sometimes revels in its isolation, this story reminds us of something powerful, something biblical: We’re stronger together. We’re stronger as one.
We know it instinctively when we’re part of a team, be it on a sports field or a quiz bowl or our place of business. When we set aside ourselves and work together, we can feel hints of that poetry underneath. And when someone doesn’t pull their weight, when someone pulls at their oar out of cadence, we can feel that, too. It doesn’t matter how good or talented they might be. It doesn’t matter how hard people try to compensate. The whole thing feels off. Out of kilter. The swing is gone.
Directed by George Clooney, “The Boys in the Boat” feels old-fashioned in the best of ways. It offers a straightforward narrative with likeable characters and clear-cut goals. It comes with a moral, both timely and timeless. And it even comes with a bit of old-fashioned restraint, where sexual dalliances are only hinted at and where everyone—for the most part—keeps their hands, and fists, to themselves.
Audiences will have to navigate a fair bit of language. Drinking and smoking find their way on screen, too. But otherwise, the film glides along the cinematic water with nary a ripple. And in its making, you can feel its swing.
Read the rest of the reviews here. Watch the trailer here.
The Color Purple – In Theaters
“The Color Purple” has a long and storied history. In 1983, the story won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, making author Alice Walker the first black woman to achieve that honor.
In 1985, it was adapted into a film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Whoopi Goldberg as Celie and Oprah Winfrey as Sofia. That film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards but won none.
Then, in 2005, it was adapted for the stage as a musical, earning 11 Tony Award nominations. (The original production didn’t win, but the revival won two Tonys in 2016.)
Now, the story is being retold once again, once again in a film version of the musical, with Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg returning as producers and starring Halle Bailey (“The Little Mermaid”), Ciara, Taraji P. Henson and Fantasia (of “American Idol” fame).
Those familiar with previous iterations of the tale probably won’t be surprised to hear about some of the content issues. Alice Walker’s original novel is one of the most frequently banned books in the United States because of its sexual explicitness, explicit language, violence and same-sex relationships. Unfortunately, all of those elements make their way into this film.
Any redemptive elements like sisterhood and faith come with a cost to viewers. We witness much of Celie’s heartbreaking abuse. Language is often a problem. And frankly, the film pushes its PG-13 rating with its frequent sexual overtones.
Several songs talk about sex, often getting raunchy. Some of the dances that accompany those tunes are essentially pantomiming the act. And it takes falling in love with (and having sex with) a woman for Celie to realize that there is someone out there who loves her for who she is.
“The Color Purple” is rooted in Black history and culture. And it’s truly a well-made, visually stunning film with a wonderful message. But the graphic content soils that message, likely preventing many families from enjoying all that this story has to offer.
Read the rest of the reviews here. Watch the trailer here.
Iron Claw – In Theaters
“The Iron Claw” is an American tragedy based on a true story. Writer/director Sean Durkin and crew attempt to make this heartbreaking tale more palatable with well-acted characters and musings on the Von Erich wrestling family “curse,” but at its core this is still a pic packed with sad and terrible things. As such, it’s not the most enjoyable two hours you’ll ever spend.
However, those who love the bitter taste of hard failings and painful human experiences chased with an enlightened moment of clarity will definitely get their money’s worth. For my two cents, the last five cathartic minutes of this movie are its best.
Getting to that short lesson and resolution point, though, isn’t an easy trek. This R-rated film treads a thorny path of emotional cruelty, hard physical calamities, foul language, drug abuse, mounting rage and disheartening suicide.
Read the rest of the reviews here. Watch the trailer here.
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Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture in which they live. Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Reviews written by Paul Asay, Bob Hoose, Emily Tsaio.
