What is your opinion of movies like Bad Moms?

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exnihilo said:
I find most comedies made by Hollywood to be simple, stupid, debased, mean spirited, in no way funny, and lacking any merit. I’ve not seen this movie but based on the description it is one of those. I don’t object to portraying people realistically which can include immorality. But I don’t find comedies like this do it in a way where there is any moral value or I can laugh at it.

Jesus told us to be like children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The same may apply to our entertainment choices. If we aren’t entertained by ‘safe’ entertainment we might be debased. I can still watch and enjoy The Andy Griffith Show just like when I was a kid. At the same time I have a different appreciation for it. The reason is because while simple and safe it isn’t mean spirited. It pokes fun at people’s quirks while respecting their dignity.
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Very well said. There is no separation between kids and adults in terms of entertainment. To state that there is is a lie that needs to be exposed whenever it appears. And when I was a kid and didn’t like something, that was that.

Ed
 
edwest2 said:
Very well said. There is no separation between kids and adults in terms of entertainment.
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Could not disagree more strongly here. Adults can appreciate nuance, subtlety, and depth in a way that even a very smart child cannot. Leave aside sex or profanity or fart jokes or whatever, and imagine a long, beautifully done movie with a rich plot and well developed characters. Look at a movie like the Godfather. There are very few action scenes. Most of it is dialogue. A kid who tries to watch it is going to be confused by the plot and very bored. But most adults would agree it’s one of the best movies ever made. A kid is going to watch that and go “BORING!” and demand to watch Despicable Me for the tenth time.

Adults aren’t kids. What was satisfying to you as a ten year old is (hopefully) not going to satisfy you as a forty year old. And it shouldn’t. You’re supposed to grow and develop, not stay stuck in the shallow end of the pool forever.
 
BoomBoomMancini said:
Could not disagree more strongly here. Adults can appreciate nuance, subtlety, and depth in a way that even a very smart child cannot. Leave aside sex or profanity or fart jokes or whatever, and imagine a long, beautifully done movie with a rich plot and well developed characters. Look at a movie like the Godfather. There are very few action scenes. Most of it is dialogue. A kid who tries to watch it is going to be confused by the plot and very bored. But most adults would agree it’s one of the best movies ever made. A kid is going to watch that and go “BORING!” and demand to watch Despicable Me for the tenth time.

Adults aren’t kids. What was satisfying to you as a ten year old is (hopefully) not going to satisfy you as a forty year old. And it shouldn’t. You’re supposed to grow and develop, not stay stuck in the shallow end of the pool forever.
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You haven’t engaged yet with my reply to you earlier, and I think I would make a similar response to this. I find I still like many of the films I enjoyed as a child, but it is true that what I appreciate is different. It’s not just nostalgia. I will notice different aspects than what stuck out to me as a kid. But some works really can have a wide appeal. And even small kids can appreciate good art, even if they can’t necessarily explain it. Some of it’s a matter of having their tastes shaped, too. I’m pretty picky about what I show my kids. Occasionally they’ll watch something that’s just silly, but I like to show them what’s really good.

(I recently saw My Neighbor Totoro for the first time, and it blew me away. It does have some silly moments, but I laughed too, and my heart ached from the drama of this family dealing with a sick mother. That’s far from just gags appealing to the lowest common denominator.)
 
pensmama87 said:
You haven’t engaged yet with my reply to you earlier, and I think I would make a similar response to this. I find I still like many of the films I enjoyed as a child, but it is true that what I appreciate is different. It’s not just nostalgia. I will notice different aspects than what stuck out to me as a kid. But some works really can have a wide appeal. And even small kids can appreciate good art, even if they can’t necessarily explain it. Some of it’s a matter of having their tastes shaped, too. I’m pretty picky about what I show my kids. Occasionally they’ll watch something that’s just silly, but I like to show them what’s really good.

(I recently saw My Neighbor Totoro for the first time, and it blew me away. It does have some silly moments, but I laughed too, and my heart ached from the drama of this family dealing with a sick mother. That’s far from just gags appealing to the lowest common denominator.)
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I’m not arguing that there are no movies meant for children that have wide appeal. I’m just saying that there are some that are aimed squarely at a particular age range, and that doesn’t make them per se bad. I’m also not saying that every raunchy comedy is good…obviously it’s possible to do it badly.

I view the raunchy “Hangover” type comedy as the cinematic equivalent of a greasy cheeseburger. No, it’s not as ‘good’ for you as a perfectly grilled piece of salmon, and it definitely takes less talent to make. But sometimes you don’t want the perfectly grilled and presented piece of salmon. Sometimes you just want the comfort food. It shouldn’t be your entire diet, but once in awhile…eh, it’s fine.

So it is with movies. “Animal House” is not as good of a movie as, say, “Remains of the Day.” But sometimes you just aren’t in the mood for a subtle, character driven masterpiece. Sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and laugh at a screwball comedy.

ETA: I’ve typed the word “raunchy” more in this thread than I have in the past ten years.
 
BoomBoomMancini said:
Could not disagree more strongly here. Adults can appreciate nuance, subtlety, and depth in a way that even a very smart child cannot. Leave aside sex or profanity or fart jokes or whatever, and imagine a long, beautifully done movie with a rich plot and well developed characters. Look at a movie like the Godfather. There are very few action scenes. Most of it is dialogue. A kid who tries to watch it is going to be confused by the plot and very bored. But most adults would agree it’s one of the best movies ever made. A kid is going to watch that and go “BORING!” and demand to watch Despicable Me for the tenth time.

Adults aren’t kids. What was satisfying to you as a ten year old is (hopefully) not going to satisfy you as a forty year old. And it shouldn’t. You’re supposed to grow and develop, not stay stuck in the shallow end of the pool forever.
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When I was a kid, even movies without “raunchy sex” were off limits if my mom deemed them “too intense”. ‘Saving Private Ryan’, ‘The Green Mile’, ‘Dead Man Walking’ (true story about a nun), and ‘Murder in the First’ are all prime examples - can you tell I’ve always loved prison movies?😃 There were many others too.

It’s just silly to say that an adult mind can’t handle anything a child’s can’t. In fact, the claim goes against all common sense and scientific data on human brain development.
 
BoomBoomMancini said:
Could not disagree more strongly here. Adults can appreciate nuance, subtlety, and depth in a way that even a very smart child cannot. Leave aside sex or profanity or fart jokes or whatever, and imagine a long, beautifully done movie with a rich plot and well developed characters. Look at a movie like the Godfather. There are very few action scenes. Most of it is dialogue. A kid who tries to watch it is going to be confused by the plot and very bored. But most adults would agree it’s one of the best movies ever made. A kid is going to watch that and go “BORING!” and demand to watch Despicable Me for the tenth time.

Adults aren’t kids. What was satisfying to you as a ten year old is (hopefully) not going to satisfy you as a forty year old. And it shouldn’t. You’re supposed to grow and develop, not stay stuck in the shallow end of the pool forever.
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As someone who works in the media, that view is totally wrong. Despicable Me? Yuck.

The Godfather was terrible. That’s why I stopped collecting movies a long time ago. Movies had long past the point of no return by the time I turned 40. There is no growing and developing by watching increasingly sexual and graphic movies or in thinking they’re entertaining. Spiritual, mental, emotional, and in some cases, physical/social behaviors turn negative and are degraded.

I want to be in the ‘wholesome and suitable for the whole family’ part of the pool.

Ed

And TV isn’t much better in some cases.
 
edwest2 said:
As someone who works in the media, that view is totally wrong. Despicable Me? Yuck.

The Godfather was terrible. That’s why I stopped collecting movies a long time ago. Movies had long past the point of no return by the time I turned 40. There is no growing and developing by watching increasingly sexual and graphic movies or in thinking they’re entertaining. Spiritual, mental, emotional, and in some cases, physical/social behaviors turn negative and are degraded.

I want to be in the ‘wholesome and suitable for the whole family’ part of the pool.
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Tell me more about how my subjective opinion is “wrong”, oh great arbiter of film quality. And I’m not sure how much credibility it gives that you “work in the media” considering your opinion would be very much an outlier among film critics, who also “work in the media.”

If you want to spend your days watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” on repeat and grumbling about how no one has produced anything worthwhile since the 50s, knock yourself out. But you’re missing a lot of great stuff.
 
Yes, yes, I get it. Childish was a poor choice of words. I should have said “child-like.”
 
I guess what I’m saying is, of all the things my conscience accuses me of, laughing at some juvenile humor in a movie is not one of them. Maybe my moral compass is hopelessly blinkered by Judd Apatow and the cast of “Veep”, but boy, the alternative seems like a really…constipated way to go through life.
 
edwest2 said:
As someone who works in the media, that view is totally wrong. Despicable Me? Yuck.

The Godfather was terrible. That’s why I stopped collecting movies a long time ago. Movies had long past the point of no return by the time I turned 40. There is no growing and developing by watching increasingly sexual and graphic movies or in thinking they’re entertaining. Spiritual, mental, emotional, and in some cases, physical/social behaviors turn negative and are degraded.

I want to be in the ‘wholesome and suitable for the whole family’ part of the pool.

Ed

And TV isn’t much better in some cases.
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What do you like watching?
 
I tend to look at the type of people who make those movies:

Godless, hateful, despicable libertines who openly flaunt their immorality.

Then I look at the type of people who enjoy those movies:

Typically the same type of people, with a lot of “broad-gate” Christians thrown in.

That tells me all I need to know about the morality of watching this kind of tripe. No different than pornography, if you ask me.
 
NonTimendum said:
I tend to look at the type of people who make those movies:

Godless, hateful, despicable libertines who openly flaunt their immorality.

Then I look at the type of people who enjoy those movies:

Typically the same type of people, with a lot of “broad-gate” Christians thrown in.

That tells me all I need to know about the morality of watching this kind of tripe. No different than pornography, if you ask me.
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You seemed fun to begin with, and then you used the word “libertine” in casual conversation and I was SOLD.
 
BoomBoomMancini said:
You seemed fun to begin with, and then you used the word “libertine” in casual conversation and I was SOLD.
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Satan is very fun when he’s trying to convince the sheep to damn themselves. God always looks “uptight” to sinners.
 
NonTimendum said:
Satan is very fun when he’s trying to convince the sheep to damn themselves. God always looks “uptight” to sinners.
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I’ve read and heard that myself, in a few versions: “People are still uptight about that?” Translation: People are not accepting a particular lifestyle choice of ours and are actively against it?"

Or “Why are you so uptight, man?”

Translation: People like me are free and you still follow rules we reject?

Which directly implies you are not listening to “us,” regardless of who the group pushing sinful ideas is.

The “entertainment” industry wants to “break down barriers,” “erase taboos,” and “push the envelope (of what average people find acceptable).” “No limits” is the slogan of one cable channel. That defines anarchy and the destructive ideas that come with it.

“No rules, just right.” No. That’s just wrong.

“Too much is never enough.”

Let’s pervert creativity where sociopaths, psychopaths and killers are the “heroes.” Or at least, likable.

God forbid,
Ed
 
Haven’t seen the movies in question, but I generally find ‘gross-out’ humor gross and yes, juvenile. Juvenile humor doesn’t interest me, didn’t even when I was a juvenile (fart jokes and all that).
 
edwest2 said:
Very well said. There is no separation between kids and adults in terms of entertainment. To state that there is is a lie that needs to be exposed whenever it appears. And when I was a kid and didn’t like something, that was that.

Ed
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Sorry, that is nonsense. I believe the USCCB have a movie review section in their website. Even they would label certain movies unsuitable for children.

There are some things that are inappropriate for kids that are appropriate for adults.
 
Personally I feel most of these movies are pretty immature and “same old same old” but this may be more an issue of taste rather than morals as I’m a big fan of Borat and ,being female,my TV weakness" is reality Tv (The Bachelor,Married at First sight,First date,Survivor,7 year switch etc).

Very rarely,I may even watch a really trashy one such as the Uk’s Love Island show but 99% of the time avoid it as the people are all just super shallow.

There is a different between adults and children’s minds and children should definitely not be allowed to watch certain things as their minds are developing and they are impressionable.
I was a child in the 80’s and I was allowed to watch things I shouldn’t have been allowed such as those typical “sex obsessed” 80’s films like Porkys and Revenge of the Nerds.
Unfortunately,music clips are not much better either and they expose kids to things they shouldn’t be exposed too.
For example,I like the song with Justin Bieber Despacito but the clip features a little boy surrounding by “hypersexuality” and it conditions kids like this to this behaviour/mindset.
 
I do like adult humor…but I can’t stand movies that depend too much on dirty jokes. Such a cheap way of writing, imo. Or shows that push politics. And I find that I get immediately put off when the film treats abortion lightly. I stopped being interested in Jane the Virgin when a character had an abortion (because she wanted to focus on herself and that she wanted her future to be all about her…she actually said that) and the episode was basically written to tell the audience that abortion is a totally fine thing to do. It’s something I can’t really compromise on.

The latest R rated comedy I have watched was The Nice Guys. I liked it, but it was quite raunchy (topless women, a slight focus on the porn industry-a student made a porn film as a means to circulate included names of corrupted people in the government, I believe, and people are trying to kill those who are involved in the film). I enjoyed Ryan Gosling’s character (single parent, scared of the hypersexuality his daughter will face, a weird PI).

I didn’t find the show to depend on cheap tricks for laughs, but that’s just my opinion.

I don’t enjoy films like the 40 year old virgin (is that what it’s even called?). But TV series like The Office though…huge guilty pleasure.

I don’t know if it’s the lack of morality or just my taste.
 
NonTimendum said:
Satan is very fun when he’s trying to convince the sheep to damn themselves. God always looks “uptight” to sinners.
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I know, I know. The devil lurks behind every fart joke.

And for the record, I’m not saying “absolutely anything goes.” Obviously, some things are unacceptable. But I think that it’s obvious that standards are very different for a 40 year old and a 9 year old, and I also think that we don’t need to overstate the moral hazards of bawdy comedy. There’s no need to clutch our pearls and head for the fainting couch because “Oh my, they said a potty word!”

I mean, if that’s what your conscience demands of you, then I wish you well. But frankly, I think you’re being a bit of an overly dramatic scold about it.
 
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