Yes, they are.
To be fair, this is what Dr. Dobson had to say about it...
[i]A Special Word From Dr. James Dobson
For 17 years, Focus on the Family has been blessed to have individuals of unusual talent and commitment serving as media advisors to many believers and nonbelievers globally. Currently, Bob Smithouser, Bob Waliszewski and the Plugged In team review and evaluate movies and other media productions and help challenge all of us to honor Christ with our entertainment decisions.
They provide a tremendous service, and we are proud of the work they do as they reach out via this pluggedinonline.com Web site that you're currently reading (drawing nearly one million parents and teens every month). In addition, the monthly Plugged In magazine impacts thousands of readers, while the radio movie-review feature reaches more than 5 million listeners weekly. I almost always agree with the opinions and recommendations the Plugged In team offers, because we draw our views from the same Judeo-Christian system of values. Occasionally, however, good men and women see things differently. In those cases we give our readers the facts from our individual points of view and let readers decide the issues for themselves. Such is the situation today with regard to the new movie Evan Almighty. You've read what the Plugged In team has had to say, above. Here's another perspective.
I recently saw the movie with my wife, Shirley, and the Vice President of Ministry Outreach, H.B. London, and his wife, Beverley. Afterward, we discussed what we had seen at length. We perceived Evan Almighty as a very entertaining movie which, although "over the top" at times in its slapstick humor, will delight most viewers. It has many laudable features, including a strong presentation of family values and a "feel good" ending. The storyline includes no illicit sex or violence and was better—far better—than the usual Hollywood fare. That is why I wish it were possible to endorse and recommend this picture, but I cannot do so.
My greatest objection to the film is its use of God's name irreverently in eight or 10 instances, as in "oh my ---." It was simply unnecessary to write the script this way, and I was bothered by it. I was also uncomfortable with the depiction of our most righteous God as an ordinary man who, though endearing and warm, danced and performed funny miracles. Some people, even individuals with similar beliefs to mine, will not be offended by this presentation. But I was taught at my mother's knee that God is profoundly holy, and we are to approach Him with deep humility and reverence. The first four of the Ten Commandments refer to this divine nature, including a warning to those who would misuse His name or refer to it disrespectfully. How can I endorse a movie that runs past those boundaries, even though most others do far worse?
Finally, I was concerned about the rewriting of the story of Noah and his ark. "God," played charmingly by Morgan Freeman, told the new Noah character that the first flood occurred because the people hadn't done enough "acts of random kindness" (as in A.R.K. Get it?). God destroyed the world and its inhabitants, the contemporary god said, not to punish a wicked and perverse generation as we read in Genesis 6, but as a benign object lesson to encourage people to be nicer to each other. It was bad theology and a radical distortion of Scripture.
As for whether my readers and their sons and daughters should see this film, that decision depends on their individual interpretations and beliefs. From my perspective, it is a shame that the movie is flawed in ways that could have so easily been avoided. Nevertheless, I appreciate the fact that the producers and writers did not include the gratuitous sex and violence that punctuates so many other offerings. Evan Almighty could have been a perennial favorite.[/i]
Krispy
