At the end of my post I indicated that I would be writing Focus on the Family: Plugged In Movie Review about their 4 out 5 rating for the movie Show Dogs. Below you will find my email to them:
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To Whom it May Concern,
I am concerned about the rating your establishment gave the movie Show Dogs. It was rated a 4 out 5 for family friendliness. As a mother of two young children, and a 3rd on the way, I use your site to help guide me in what we as a family watch. I have found previously your ratings to be spot on.
But with the movie Show Dogs, I think you were too generous. Many of the mom's I am friends with shared on social media a troubling review that essentially says the movie is trying to normalize the grooming for sexual predators. Here is the link to the article:
The movie, from your site's review, would have been one my husband gladly would have taken my 3 year old to see. My husband is a police office, my son talks nothing but about good guys, bad guys, trucks, and dogs. This movie has 3 of his 4 must have's as a 3 year old boy. I am disturbed that your review summarized this troubling scenario mentioned above as:
Sexual Content
Some of the female dog handlers wear formfitting, low-cut outfits. A male handler ushers in his dog while shirtless. A trainer offers to let Max breed with his dog. Frank repeatedly cups Max's nether regions (off- camera) to prepare him for the judge's on-stage inspection of him. Max and another female show dog share a "kiss," à la that iconic canine canoodle in Lady and the Tramp.
I don't care that it is off screen. The fact that it is discussed apparently as it is, is appalling. Your conclusion, that this a "kids movie through and through" could not be further from the truth. I have always revered your site, as many women who I look up to relied on your site to help guide them in their parenting. I now can no longer use your site as the guiding site in movie decisions for my family.
As a final thought, we want to emphasize again something Bob stated in his post. Focus takes the subject of child abuse extremely seriously. In fact, in April we aired a broadcast on the topic titled “Protecting Your Child from Sexual Abuse” in order to ensure that parents and other caregivers are alert to this problem and have the tools they need to guard the innocence of those under their supervision. If you didn’t hear this program at the time, we hope you’ll take several minutes to listen via the link above.
Again, we’re glad you contacted us and hope we’ve provided some helpful clarification. May God bless you and your loved ones.
I don't care that it is off screen. The fact that it is discussed apparently as it is, is appalling. Your conclusion, that this a "kids movie through and through" could not be further from the truth. I have always revered your site, as many women who I look up to relied on your site to help guide them in their parenting. I now can no longer use your site as the guiding site in movie decisions for my family.
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Sometimes, when you take on a task for standing up for yourself, or in this case the innocence of your children, you wonder if it is worth it. Will they even respond? Will they brush it off? In this case, it was worth my time to not only write my original post, but to write Focus on the Family. They did in fact respond to my email, and publicly responded to the outpouring from parents I would assume nation wide. Below is their email response to me:
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Thank you, Jessica, for writing to Plugged In, a ministry of Focus on the Family. Your message was forwarded to us here in our Family Help Center, and I’m happy to get back to you.
Your confidence in our ministry means a great deal to us. It was good you took the time to share your disappointment about our Plugged In staff’s recent review of Show Dogs. We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the issues you raised and address the content in the movie that you feel needed more attention in the initial review. A blog by Bob Hoose, our staff member who saw the screening, is now posted on the Plugged In website. We believe you’ll find what Bob has to say beneficial. We also want to let you know that some changes are being made to the review in response to the feedback we’ve received.
As a final thought, we want to emphasize again something Bob stated in his post. Focus takes the subject of child abuse extremely seriously. In fact, in April we aired a broadcast on the topic titled “Protecting Your Child from Sexual Abuse” in order to ensure that parents and other caregivers are alert to this problem and have the tools they need to guard the innocence of those under their supervision. If you didn’t hear this program at the time, we hope you’ll take several minutes to listen via the link above.
Again, we’re glad you contacted us and hope we’ve provided some helpful clarification. May God bless you and your loved ones.
Mia Jones
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I am glad I did receive a response. And I am encouraged that they are responding to the fact that many people, parents, thought the review was lacking. I did take the time to read the blog by Bob Hoose, the staff member who saw the screening. And for the most part I like his response, but some things still irked me. Case in point.
The movie is about a police dog that goes undercover as a contestant in a show dog competition. And as part of the process, the judges have to inspect the animal’s private parts (that’s a part of real dog shows, by the way). Since Max the cop dog has never been through this process, his human trainer tries to prepare him for being examined in that way—much to Max’s chagrin. They tell him to try not to think about it and go to his “zen” place. It’s played as a growl and snap joke in the movie.
I honestly do not care if an inspection of animal private parts is how it is done in real life, I feel that Focus on the Family is missing the point. This part of the movie didn't need to be in the movie. How can I teach my child about her private box (PARENTING: Hard Work and Worth It!), and that it is private, when a movie makes light of it, and that part seems to be glossed over by reviewers. Now Mr. Hoose is right, people view life/movies/music through their own filter of experience. Like Mrs. Maldonado, I am a survivor of sexual abuse, and I am somewhat hyper vigilant to scenarios like this in movies, the news, books. But, I don't think that we necessarily saw this through that survivor's filter. We saw it through the filter of being mom's who are well aware and highly informed about what is going on in society. Honestly, anything made by Hollywood, I am suspicious of. Sexual scandals abound more and more we hear about the abuses going on, and everything that comes from Hollywood is over sexualized. I still do not understand at the age of 32 what a half naked woman or man has to do with selling perfume.
Mr. Hoose shared: As I was writing this blog, a colleague of mine took a phone call on the issue. The caller—a mom—had some concerns about the review. Once we explained what we try to do in our reviews, including this one, she understood, and she added that the whole controversy actually inspired her to talk with her own kids about sexual abuse. That’s a wonderful reaction, I think. Whatever take we have on this movie, whether we see it or not, I applaud Maldonado for talking with her own children about these very important topics the movie made her consider. I applaud our caller for—even though neither she nor her children had seen the movie at all—opening up this line of dialogue in her own family. Whatever the movie’s intent was, these are important conversations to have. And safe kids and safe families are definitely on the top of both our lists.
I do agree with this, this movie is giving families an open venue to have this difficult conversation. I am still not appeased though with the nonchalant feeling about the scenes in question. And I might have to resolve myself to this fact. I know my family will not be seeing this movie, and based on the comments to my post on Facebook, and the private messages I have received, many in my circle of friends and community will not be seeing it either. And that might just have to be enough, for now.
I do agree with this, this movie is giving families an open venue to have this difficult conversation. I am still not appeased though with the nonchalant feeling about the scenes in question. And I might have to resolve myself to this fact. I know my family will not be seeing this movie, and based on the comments to my post on Facebook, and the private messages I have received, many in my circle of friends and community will not be seeing it either. And that might just have to be enough, for now.
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