"Put God First in Your Marriage"
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What You Need To Know:
NOT EASILY BROKEN is a wonderful movie about the importance of putting God first in a marriage relationship, but it does include worldly struggles and too much foul language in getting to its inspiring conclusion. MOVIEGUIDE® would commend this movie for the whole family, but must give a caution for children due to the foul language and mature themes.
Content:
(CCC, BBB, LLL, V, S, A) A very strong Christian worldview with worldly problems that beg for and get a Christian solution; 31 obscenities (no f-words) and one use of God and one of Jesus in vain; sporting activity leads to a fight (quickly broken up); some talk of sex; wife shown in nightgown, a backrub is given in a dream, but no offensive nudity; drinking of beer; no smoking; and, nothing else objectionable.
More Detail:
NOT EASILY BROKEN is a wonderful movie about the importance of putting God first in a marriage relationship, but it does include worldly struggles and worldly language in getting to its inspiring conclusion.
The movie opens in 1995 with Dan Johnson getting married to Clarice Clark. The ceremony includes a rope with three strands and a pastor’s admonition to make God the third strand in the marriage so it will be “not easily broken.”
The movie shifts forward to where Dan’s hopes of baseball stardom were dashed by an injury, and Clarice has become the leading salesperson in a real estate firm. Dan has a small remodeling business, enjoys coaching a little league team with some of his buddies and longs to have children of his own. Clarice is consumed with her career and doesn’t want it slowed down by children.
The obvious problems in the marriage are only magnified when Clarice is seriously injured in an auto accident that occurred as the couple was arguing. Clarice’s mother moves into their home to tenderly care for her daughter and viciously criticize Dan. Her bitterness chased off her own husband, and she looks for every opportunity to chase off Dan.
A physical therapist, Julie, is hired to help Clarice recover from her leg injuries. A much more pleasant person to be around than Clarice, she winds up becoming friends with Dan when he invites her son to join the little league team he coaches. This sets up the classic marriage-killing mix of a bitter, complaining wife and a pleasant, admiring other woman (the same can be true when a wife has a bitter husband and a pleasant admirer).
Without God in a marriage, many get broken right at this point. With God in His proper place in a marriage, bitterness is not allowed to grow. Happily, even when God is left out of a marriage, He can heal bitterness and save a marriage if the couple can turn their lives over to Him. It’s a blessing to see a major distributor release a movie that so clearly shows how bringing God, and biblical principles like forgiveness, into relationships leads to healing and restoration.
The movie is profoundly Christian but does not come across as preachy. Producer, Pastor T.D. Jakes, explained he is going after more than just a church audience. MOVIEGUIDE® would give it a +4 for the message alone but must give it a -1 (caution) rating simply because we don’t want readers spotting a family-friendly rating and thinking this is clean enough to bring little children to watch. The movie deals with the lives of people raised in a society where obscenities and violence are the norm. Jakes told MOVIEGUIDE®, “If you have men in the hood playing basketball and they say, ‘Gosh, darn, you’re not a nice person,’ people won’t take your movie seriously.” Even so, many good Christians will be turned off by the movie’s foul language, which is too prevalent.
T.D. Jakes and Sony Pictures should be congratulated, however, for making a movie with a very strong Christian message where marital healing occurs. The two have a deal to make more movies after this. Please pray that there will be many more movies that glorify God and show that He has the answers to our problems, but with less foul language.
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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