(UPDATE 5/24/2018)
It has been reported that the questionable scenes in the movie are being removed. Here are links to those reports:
- Show Dogs Movie Facebook Page Addresses the Concern, May 22 @ 12:05 pm
- Show Dogs Movie Facebook Page Announces the removal of the scenes, May 23, 2018 @ 5:31 pm
- CNN report of the decision to cut the scenes
(Original Post)
I logged on to Facebook this morning as normal and in one of the children’s ministry Facebook groups was a post about the movie Show Dogs. It was a post warning people not to see the movie based off of another review that said the movie was potentially grooming children for sexual abuse. Comments that followed shared how this movie may not have been bad because it did depict real life events and were harmless. What I found interesting was that the comments were being made by people who had not seen the movie. Plugged-In gave the movie a favorable review, and received some questions about it which they address here.
The original comments being spread across the internet warning parents was originally written by an individual who acknowledges being a victim of sexual abuse. Others commented that it was normal for that type of thing in dog shows. As I read comments, including the Plugged-In review, I decided to go watch the movie myself to come to my own conclusion. Was the original blog post overly sensitive because of their experience, or proper in their assessment? Was Plugged-in right in giving it a favorable review? Seeing conflicting views, and opinions, I wanted to see it for myself and decide.
I preface the post with that because I went to see the movie for a reason and having heard varying perspectives about it. I am also a man serving in children’s ministry. That means I have to be extra careful to avoid any appearance of evil involving children in my care. Something that I do not take lightly. Background checks and child protection training occur much more frequently than I like and I have to wear an ID badge so I can be easily identified in case of an accusation. In my role as a children’s pastor and a children’s ministry leader, I must do what I can to protect the children in my care, which includes advising parents, and other children’s ministry leaders of concerns with books, movies, etc. That is the “bias” I walked into the movie considering, yet I always seek to find the good if possible to refute sensationalist posts.
To help have a unbiased view, I had my wife meet me at the movie theater and all she knew was the name of the movie and that we were watching it for #kidmin (children’s ministry) research. She had no history of the discussion of the day regarding this movie (though she had heard the Plugged-in review on the radio at some point).
We entered an empty theater about 5 minutes before show time. Just as the movie was about to begin, a women entered with who I presumed to be her tween daughter. Since the theater was empty, I was unable to gauge reactions by children watching the movie.
As the credits rolled, we exited the theater. I asked my wife what she thought of the movie and she said that it was a cute little movie. I asked if there were any scenes that stood out and nothing immediately came to mind. After a while she did question if the movie was for children because of some of the dialogue of the dogs and because of the scene where they inspect the dog’s private parts. That is when I began to share the discussion of the day.
My wife’s initial response to my question is what I might expect many to say. I say that because the scenes were strategically placed where they fell into the sequence of events, and far enough from the end where it may become a faint memory. Let me explain.
Max (the talking police dog) uses his street smarts to defeat the refined canines to make it to the final round of the dog show. In the final showing, the judges inspect the entire dog and so his human partner is working to prepare Max for this inspection by touching his private parts. While you do not see any actual touching, it is clear the action being taken. A former dog show winner is coaching Max and encourages him to go to his zen place as a way to cope with this awkward moment. Plugged-in even acknowledged that in their review when they wrote:
Frank repeatedly cups Max’s nether regions (off-camera) to prepare him for the judge’s on-stage inspection of him, encouraging Max to distract himself by going to his “zen” place.
When the finals come and it is time for Max to be inspected, the scene slows down. Will Max snap back, will he bite, or will he accept this inspection? You see the judge’s hand slip slowly under Max’s tail and then you see Max enter his zen place, which is an extended, euphoric, scene. While you do not see the contact, you know what is happening (no matter your age) and the music playing prior to this scene and immediately after are very suggestive. Before the scene as other dogs are being inspected (but not their privates), a song about their body is playing, and immediately after is a song with lyrics “I feel sexy”. Max has convinced himself that this touching was okay to make it to the next level to try to win best dog of the show and apparently from the song following, it made Max feel sexy. I can imagine a theater full of people relieved and glad that Max let the judge touch his private parts so he could accomplish his goal. Is that what we want to impress upon our children and youth (even adults)? Spoiler alert, Max does not win so his acceptance of this inspection did not accomplish what he had hoped.
After that scene, the movie has some humor and action to leave the viewer with that distances the awkward scene, except for a brief reference in a subsequent bit, or allows the viewer to discount the scene for what it appeared to be.
So what about the people who state that in the movie they are dogs not kids, or that it is normal in a dog show environment? I do not believe that these points are valid in this case because the movie humanizes the canines by giving them voice and human emotions (going to a zen place, etc).
I would generally agree with the original post that was permeating the internet and that Plugged-in references in their explanation of their review. I personally would not recommend the movie because of how the scenes touching Max’s private parts (especially the scene where the judge inspects Max) is portrayed and how he is encouraged, and learns, to accept it.
In this world of #metoo and the scandals in Hollywood and of public figures, I find it surprising that a movie designed for children (rated PG) promotes the culture that women are striving to abolish with the #metoo movement.
Ultimately it is the responsibility of the parent to determine what their child watches, reads, etc., but if you ask me, I would discourage the parent from watching this film.
Have you seen the movie? If so, what were your thoughts and what would tell a parent who asked you about the movie?
