Walking out of a theater during a movie has always been a concept I couldn't quite understand. I believe from the 100's of movies I've seen, I've only willingly walked out of two movies. One was "Wavelength," some early 80's dud starring Robert Carradine of "Revenge of the Nerds" fame, about aliens. The other was "Congo." I don't even remember the concept. It had Tim Curry mugging endlessly and the worst special effects known to man. My dad, who always took me to the movies as a kid, never walked out of a movie that I can remember. We almost walked out together when we watched "House of a 1000 Corpses, but we were too busy laughing at the horror schlock to take it seriously.
I find it odd when people leave to answer their phones, to get extra popcorn, or simply walk out halfway through the film. Movies are so expensive nowadays, you'd figure people would pay attention to what they are seeing. I've been stricter with my movie selections too. I don't always get out, so I try to make sure what I'm watching will be worth the money. (Advice--don't watch anything in 3D.)
This past week I went and saw "The Wolf of Wall Street." The movie has drawn plenty of controversy. It is a drugged up adaptation of Jordan Belfort's real-life escapades as a stock market hustler. The film is 3 hours of in-your-face depravity. Leo Dicaprio plays the wolf well, too well at times, never blinking an eye over swindling millions from investors who thought they were getting rich by selling penny stocks. About two hours in, a couple to my left walked out. Up until that point I had been telling myself, "I'm not sure I LIKE this film." I felt uneasy at the laughter. The nudity and graphic nature of the film seemed excessive.
Much of the film's controversy stems not from its visceral episodes of drugs, hookers and foul language, but from the lack of comeuppance of the main character. The bad guy doesn't really ever seem to understand that he's a creep. In "Goodfellas," another film by one of my favorite directors, Martin Scorcese, its lead character lives it up as a rising member of the mob. But when the drop comes, it not only destroys him but the ones he loves the most. The real-life Jordan Belfort served close to two years in prison and had to pay back millions. Google him and you'll come to find out he's still hustling people as a motivational speaker. He still hasn't payed back millions and no one is knocking on his door to recoup.
Of course, America loves its movies about men behaving badly. Gordon Gekko became a household name when he uttered the famous lines, "Greed is good." We love mobster films (indeed, The Godfather Part 2 is one of my all time favorites), drug films like "Blow", the villains who wear black. When Jack Palance dismounts from his horse in "Shane" he became one of the first intriguing villains of my youth. Here was a man to be reckoned with. Here walks the devil.
TV plays into this fallen man idea. My wife and I have been watching "Mad Men," about the exploits of Don Draper, ad executive. The show is full of adultery, alcoholics, back stabbers, drug users and unfit fathers--and I love the show. Perhaps I project what I wish upon a lost man like Don Draper. You want to root for him even though you cringe when he falls in bed with some man's wife. You want him to understand that being a father is a special gift, only to see him blow his opportunities by coming home drunk. "Breaking Bad" is another modern masterpiece. It's bloody, gruesome, probably too true and features men who have lost their way. Walter White, dying of cancer and drowning in bills, decides to cook crystal meth to make ends meet. Every decision after that begins a spiral of epic proportions. It's dastardly good.
The way I approach films before I was a Christian is a stark contrast to now. When I jumped out from my Emmaus walk, I rifled through my DVD collection and threw out half my films. Horror flicks like "Halloween," "Boogie Nights" about a young stud's rise and fall in the porn industry, and several 80's style comedy romps like "The Last American Virgin." Over time, I stopped watching slasher films (I do like suspenseful scary house type stuff) and lately R-rated comedies have been skipped over for other selections. A few summers back I went and watched "Ted", a raunchy comedy about a foul-mouthed teddy bear. After the first Jesus joke 5 minutes into the film I wanted to walk out. I stayed during every nude scene and laughed quite a bit. I didn't have the heart to just walk out. Bill Hybels calls this gut feeling one has when your views and outlook begin to transform your outward habits as the "holy discontent."
Last summer when volunteering with the youth, the stories came up with college students over how non-Christians would question the music or viewing habits of Christians. We kept making these silly, snarky "You're Christian?"barbs toward one another like we were judgmental suburban girls. I don't believe that watching Family Guy, or the Simpsons or Modern Family make one a non-Christian just as watching Fox News, the 700 Club makes one a true Christian. I do try and filter the filth that is seeping in every part of our culture. It used to be risque to curse and show nudity on regular television. Now it's part of many programs.
Perhaps viewing everything through that God lens is what God wants from us. We have to balance our own biased views on life, what the culture around us wants us to act like and the lens of God. How can you really balance the 3? I understand that I'm imperfect and those that have influenced and spoke into my life were imperfect as well. The culture wants us to "break bad" and act irresponsibly. How many movies have you seen where the so-called character of high morals is some secret sado masochist? Or how many times do you hear parent's justifying their children's behavior with, "If they don't get it out of their system they'll go to college and be all wild." The oldest joke in film, and one uttered in "Wolf" is how no one who is married is happy. I grew up thinking that being married sucked the life from every man. It's a seed that gets planted in the rich soil of our impressionable minds.
I think there are many lies and half truths that need to be filtered through the God lens. A straight diet of the world corrodes the engine that drives us--our hearts. At Blockbuster Video, I remember so many transactions of families renting movies for their weekend. Moms and dads, single moms, teenage kids. Stacks of horror films, Skinamax soft porn movies and anything starring Adam Sandler. There's a line in the Bible that basically says the truth (the law) is inscribed on our hearts. We know crap when we see it. But when we turn off the filter it can become dangerous.
Just before "Wold" ends, the real-life Jordan Belfort introduces his doppelganger to a rapt audience who undoubtedly paid money to learn how to get rich faster. The crowd pans over their faces, in awe of the guru who will plant the seed of greed into their hearts. I think it's the true message of the film, one that pokes at the theater audience as well. Why do we sit for three hours in a dark movie house laughing as men mount hookers, blow cocaine, pop Quaaludes and swindle money from investors? We don't' even see the people affected by Jordan Belfort's penny stock schemes, and I think that's the point. Their greed, the lure of money that isn't earned from one's effort, toil or intelligence, is a crime in itself. They wanted to believe that Jordan was the answer to all their prayers. :I can imagine them in their homes realizing they've been swindled and performing a Clark Griswold montage of swear words and proclamations. But as we sit and watch hour after hour, we don't leave the theater. We don't have the heart to get up and walk out. That's the biggest sin of them all.
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