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Why Does Sony Sometimes Make Trash?

By David Outten, Production Editor

It used to be that if you were shopping for a television or an audio system you’d be willing to pay a higher price to purchase a Sony product.


Today, Apple’s become the company best known for being able to charge a premium. In fact, in the cell phone business Apple makes something like 90 percent of the profit in the industry even though their market share is far less. Apple earns respect with innovation, style, quality and customer service.

Sony used to have a similar valuable reputation. You’d pay more for a Sony than an Emerson because you thought the Sony looked better, worked better and would last longer.

Today the brand name Sony is associated with more than just electronics. In 1989 Sony purchased one of the six major American movie studios, Columbia Pictures.

Sony now releases some of the best and some of the worst movies made.

Imagine if Sony made both really great and really lousy televisions. You couldn’t trust the brand name.

The animated movie giant Pixar’s astounding success has been because the quality and content of their movies has been consistently good enough to earn public respect for the name Pixar. When BRAVE comes out, many people will be anxious to see it simply because it’s the next Pixar movie. If Pixar, instead of Sony, had released BUCKY LARSON:  BORN TO BE A STAR, their brand name would be worthless. The movie was about a simpleton who learns his parents were porn stars and travels to Hollywood to follow in their footsteps. It’s so nasty even with a wide release it closed with just over $2 million in box office.

Having not learned their lesson, Sony is soon to release THAT’S MY BOY about a 15-year-old student who gets his teacher pregnant and raises a son while the mother is in prison. Thirty years later the crass father shows up just before his son’s wedding to beg for money to pay off the IRS. The MPAA rated it R for “crude sexual content throughout, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug use.”

In equally bad taste, Sony is releasing this on Father’s Day weekend.

Sony’s Values?

Sony’s corporate website contains the following:

Sony in America:  Working Together to Make a Difference

Our companies are known for creating products that enrich people’s lives. Through Sony Corporation of America and its operating companies – Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment – we are also dedicated to improving people’s lives. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, funding research to cure devastating diseases, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment and actively encouraging employee volunteerism.

Are people’s lives really enriched by  “crude sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, and drug use”?

Does a movie about 15-year-old getting his teacher pregnant “help local communities and foster better educational systems?”

Improving the Environment

Many people think “improving the environment” is all about recycling, using clean energy and cutting back on emissions.

But, what about the social environment? Or, the intellectual and spiritual environment? Should we encourage more sex, drugs, and vulgarity? Is releasing movies that degrade the art of comedy Sony of Hollywood’s idea of “supporting the arts”?

Sony would be run out of the electronics business if its products got worse instead of better. The pressure in electronics research and development is to keep making better and better products.

Why isn’t that philosophy not applicable to movies, television, and entertainment?

Are BUCKY LARSON:  BORN TO BE A STAR and THAT’S MY BOY Sony’s idea of making better and better movies?

Why don’t Sony’s corporate values apply to Sony movies?

Where Sony Got It Right

Last year, Sony Provident and Affirm Films (divisions of Sony) released the Sherwood Pictures movie COURAGEOUS. This movie clearly encourages men to be better fathers. It’s clean, humorous, entertaining, and inspirational, with overt Christian content. In previous years, they released Sherwood’s movies FIREPROOF and FACING THE GIANTS.

Sherwood Pictures is building a tremendous reputation. With each new release, they draw in large numbers of the people who enjoyed their previous movies.

These aren’t the only inspirational, Christian movies Sony has released through its faith-based partners. In recent years, Sony has also helped distribute and market movies like SOUL SURFER, THE GRACE CARD, and TO SAVE A LIFE.

Audiences drawn to these movies aren’t drawn to the name Sony. Anyone who loved these movies would likely get sick watching Sony’s THAT’S MY BOY.

Help Us Help Sony and the Rest of Hollywood

If you’d like to help Sony restore some dignity to its brand name, and make movies that encourage good rather than bad, please select the like and share buttons below. Our goal is to let Sony know that respect for the brand name Sony is adversely impacted by R-rated Sony movies like THAT’S MY BOY with “crude sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug use.”

MOVIEGUIDE® is committed to showing entertainment companies like Sony that family-friendly movies with Christian, biblical, inspiration, and patriotic values make far more money on average than movies like THAT’S MY BOY.

We have had tremendous success in helping them do that, but each new studio executive, producer, writer, and director in Hollywood has to be taught the same life-affirming, family-friendly message. And, we need your support in doing that, not only through your continuing prayers and generous donations, but also in your commitment to see inspiring, uplifting, and wholesome entertainment and avoid movies with “crude sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug use.”

This is what God calls us to do and you and your family to do as well.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


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