[thechat] Hollywood Movies and Families

[Janet Green]

Syed, assuming we are not talking about the American definition of "pornography," but rather talking about regular old Hollywood movies... here are some thoughts (I am in Des Moines, Iowa, USA):


>>>Q1.    What do you think about kissing and sexually erotic scenes (kissing means male-female kissing)?<<<

I like them if they advance the story or develop the characters.

>>>Q 2.    Do you feel any embarrassment in viewing such scenes with your family?<<<

No. You can usually tell by the previews of a movie (and the rating that it is given by the Motion Picture Association of America) whether the scenes will be age-appropriate for all family members. I don't put myself in a position of watching "inappropriate movies" with my family. If we are all sitting around the tv, or looking at the movie listings to go to a theater, we'll pick something that everyone will enjoy. I would not choose to see a film that appeared to be "too erotic" if the person going with me were my mother, father, sibling or child. I might choose to see such a movie with my husband or a female friend, however.

>>>Q 3.    What is the general trend about such scenes in the families of your country?<<<

I think that responsible families try to make sure that children do not watch sexually explicit movies. The MPAA gives each movie a rating based partly on the explicitness of its sexual content, and that helps us determine which movies are not appropriate for children. Years ago, entire movies were written and filmed leading up to the moment where the leading couple would kiss on-screen. That has certainly evolved, but it's not unheard of even today ("You've Got Mail," for example).

>>>Q 4.    Do you think that kids must not be allowed to watch such scenes?<<<

Not necessarily. I see nothing wrong with children observing adults in movies show appropriate affection for each other - or even in seeing a semi-nude body or in getting the suggestion that sexual activity is taking place off-screen. I do not condone letting children watch explicit sexual activity onscreen, but of course the key lies in what you would consider "explicit" versus what I would consider explicit.

>>>Q 5.    Are such scenes essential for each movie even though they are not directly related to the story or they are not as such needed in accordence to theme of the movie?<<<

Except for pornography, I believe it's very rare that a kissing or other sexual-themed scene would make it into the movie at all if the director didn't feel at some level that it was important. In other words, whether a sexual scene is related to the story is decided by the director long before you ever see the film, so if you personally feel that the scene is not related to the story or does not pertain to the theme, that's really a matter of personal opinion. A sexual or kissing scene is not essential if the story has nothing to do with romance or sex (and in fact there are many, many movies with NO romance or sex in them at all), but since romance and sex have been a popular theme in art and literature for centuries, it's not surprising that it's also a common theme in films. Any time a film is about any kind of romantic relationship, kissing and/or sexual scenes are probably  appropriate.


-Janet