The Movie

Well, I did it. I paid the $1.50 at redbox and rented 50 Shades. We watched it for our Friday movie night. I've definitely got some observations.

You won't see what I've previously said, because I removed the posts. However, I had a definite opinion about all the negative hype. In short, I read the books and found the story to be one of restoration and beauty.

After watching the movie, I understand why people were so up in arms over it being pornography. The movie focuses on the sex part of the book and leaves out so much context. I would never want to watch this movie with anyone but my husband, as it is soft core porn. The movie actually degrades the book because it is so focused on the sex.

I still stand by my original opinions that at no point in the book or movie is rape portrayed as being ok. There is no rape and nobody is taken advantage of at all. The woman is a willing participant and the two are in a monogamous relationship. I ask my husband, who hasn't read the books, and he concurred. It was two adults who were consenting and only with each other. He too had no clue how anyone could say that rape was involved.

Here's something else unexpected that I got from the movie. There's probably a reason I can understand the back story and sexual activity as something more than just being about sex. I realize that it takes someone who can truly identify with the story to understand it. If you don't, it's probably going to be nothing more than smut. Another conclusion that my husband agreed with. He agreed that if the movie put more emphasis on the back story, he'd have understood more. And that I probably got it more because of how my life has gone.

I won't be rushing out to buy the movie and is still never recommend it to anyone. I too would shake anyone who allowed their children to watch it. However, I still stand by the idea that our past warps us and in some cases that manifests in obscure sexual behavior. As long as that behavior isn't deviant, then it's nobody's place to judge.