“Average Joe” delivers an inspirational, gritty portrait of a man fueled by faith who refuses to discard his beliefs when he’s mightily pressured to do so. Pharrell William’s creative, sometimes inspiring biographical doc, “Piece by Piece,” has a strong structure, but some pieces do feel out of place. Pumpkin King Jack Skellington is back. First released in 1993, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” now makes annual October appearances.
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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.
Average Joe – In Theaters
The Constitution, as Joe Kennedy rightly notes, enshrines every American’s right to believe what they want and to express their spiritual convictions. In “Average Joe,” a coach who believes in thanking God at midfield after every football game has that fundamental right challenged — a challenge that goes all the way to the Supreme Court.
That’s the overall thrust of this true story — a case that was only recently vindicated by the Supreme Court in a landmark ruling affirming freedom of religion. Many who share Joe Kennedy’s perspective and convictions will likely be drawn to this movie for that reason.
What surprised me, though, was that the story we encounter here is bigger than that conflict. We see how Joe’s tumultuous life has shaped his faith, both in the good moments and the bad. And, frankly, it feels like Joe has endured more of the latter.
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So by the time the movie’s signature standoff finally comes into view, we’re able to better understand how God has molded Joe’s character for that moment, that fight.
I like that about this film. It’s not just one righteous man vs. evil government forces, a plot device that can feel two-dimensional and stereotypical. No, this time around we get a bigger story about a man who’s fought through hard things but who is determined to follow God faithfully, no matter the consequences.
This story will, I believe, connect with a lot of families. I should also note, however, that there’s some PG-13 grittiness here. We get a bit of language, some violent moments (both in battle and between kids fighting) and, of course, Joe’s abusive childhood. Those content issues may give the film a sense of authenticity for some viewers, but they also might nudge it just out of bounds for families with young viewers.
All in all, though, “Average Joe” delivers an inspirational portrait of a man fueled by faith who refuses to discard his beliefs when he’s mightily pressured to do so.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
Piece by Piece – In Theaters
The Bible tells us to build our house upon the rock — not on the sand.
But what about building something on a nice, big, LEGO plate?
I don’t mean to be flippant: It really is something for families to consider with “Piece by Piece.”
Pharrell is, no question, a phenomenal artist. “Piece by Piece” is certainly the most creative musical documentary I’ve ever seen. And the inspiration that Pharrell offers here in the midst of his own career comes with a lot of positives. When industry-wide disinterest and foot-dragging seem to conspire to squash Pharrell’s gifts, he pushes on and perseveres. When his own ego nearly capsizes his career, he finds firmer footing in relationships, community and family.
As such, LEGO bricks serve as a fitting vehicle for what Pharrell has done his entire life: He’s taken the structures that other people have given him, torn them down brick by brick to rebuild something he likes better. Likewise, he examines his own work, too. And, when necessary, he tears it down himself. Pharrell is the master of his own handiwork. He can build and rebuild his life as he sees fit.
And that’s great — to a point. We all do and should do this.
But on a greater, deeper level — one that, given his time and experience in the Church, I think Pharrell would understand — we’re not ultimately the builders. We’re the bricks, set in place by a wiser, higher divine hand.
There’s an inherent tension between our own desire to create and our call to be used by our Creator. And I can’t say how well Pharrell is navigating that tension. But certainly, the film gives ample evidence that many of Pharrell’s own musical creations should give Christians pause.
The film winks at the skin and drugs found in the music industry — all skating to the very edge of “Piece by Piece’s” PG rating. (Indeed, the language alone seems like it’d be enough to push it beyond the PG boundary; perhaps the MPA was simply charmed by the movie’s LEGOs to give it much thought.)
But here’s the other thing parents should consider: Pharrell is a phenomenal artist. His music is very good. And that might push a young listener to go through the producer’s musical library — a library that, in its entirety, would push well beyond PG, past PG-13 and into the musical equivalent of an R rating.
In “Piece by Piece,” everything parents see on screen might feel “Happy.” But take it just one or two steps beyond — as, I’d wager, the film would love for you to do — and Moms and Dads might do well to drop it like it’s hot.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
Classic Review: Nightmare Before Christmas – Streaming on Disney+
If Halloween were a place, what would it be like? The first 10 minutes of this “Nightmare” convinced me that nobody could have come up with a more creative — if macabre — answer to the question than did writer Tim Burton and director Henry Selick. Dismal days and dark nights. Creepy creatures galore. Clever lyrics entombed in moody, minor-key notes. All thoroughly engaging — and generally restrained, as far as overtly objectionable content goes. There’s cartoon violence and mild gross-out moments, but even the worst of these scenes are bloodless and without gore. And not only is the language nearly always clean, at times the dialogue and lyrics are quite smart.
But we found ourselves squirming a bit as we tried to cram macabre and lighthearted entertainment into the same mental box. Even though this “Nightmare‘s” good-natured singing-and-dancing vampires, witches and skeletons don’t do much that’s particularly (or specifically) wicked, they are still vampires, witches and skeletons. We’re “filling your dreams to the brim with fright,” Jack sings. And the overall effect of this Halloween-crashes-Christmas monster mash-up is indeed a bit unsettling — in part because of that whole crashing-into-Christmas thing.
So the real issue is this: Have Burton and Selick created a trick or a treat — or, as they’d say in Christmas Town, candy or coal?
There are two ways to look at their creation: from a secular viewpoint and from a Christian one. First, the former. If you think of the holidays in “The Nightmare Before Christmas” as completely secularized, you can concentrate on the positive messages that arise. Namely, that Jack has no ill motive in mind when he takes over Christmas. He truly does want to “help” spread goodwill, joy and peace. Then, when he bumbles it, he rushes to set things right again by rescuing Sandy Claws and begging him to save the day.
Now, for the latter. The movie begins with the narrator intoning, “You probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven’t, then I’d say it’s time you’d begun.” Taking that admonition seriously, Jack searches high and low for the true meaning of the blessed event of Christmas. And the best he can come up with is that a portly, bearded fellow who flies around with reindeer and on a single night delivers gifts to all the world’s deserving boys and girls. The bric-a-brac he studies so intently doesn’t point him to the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. It points him to candy, cards, holly and mistletoe.
Those things make him feel happy. But they don’t do him any real good. And they don’t do viewers much good, either — at home watching the DVD or at the multiplex taking in the 3-D “experience.”
Read the rest of the review 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 and Adam R. Holz.
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