Unplanned movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Unplanned

RATING: R (Don’t you think it’s bizarre that children under 17 years of age can get an abortion, yet they can’t watch this movie without their parents present?)

LENGTH: 1 hour 46 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL: A lot of Christians choose not to watch R-rated movies, but this one is probably going to get them to hit the theaters. It’s already a controversial film, especially in today’s heated political debate and recent legislation about third-term abortions in the United States. Does it preach to the choir? Well, probably. As expected, pro-life viewers are singing its praises, while pro-choice liberals are either ignoring it or hating it.

Based on a true story, this is most definitely an anti-abortion film. It’s about a woman who worked at Planned Parenthood and the things she experienced there. Bring tissues.

At the end of the movie, the screen shows another option for those considering abortion. It said, “If you’re a woman or a man who wants to talk with someone about your abortion, your pregnancy, or taking action to support life, text HOPE to 73075.” It also offers help for people who work in the abortion industry who want a way out.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

This is a serious subject that is not appropriate for young children. Teenagers, however, need to understand this issue and they most definitely need you to talk to them about the consequences of having sex. Yes, it’s an awkward conversation with your kids, but if you don’t talk to them, then the only information they’re getting is from their teenage friends or whatever they find on YouTube. Teenage girls, especially, need to see this movie.
The reason this movie is rated R is because of a scene in the beginning when a woman who works at Planned Parenthood watches an abortion for the first time and sees a living baby get sucked out and killed. It’s gory and horrifying to watch the baby try to get away from the vacuum. There are several other scenes with blood and baby body parts.
No profanity.

THEMES:

Your life matters. So does your baby’s.
Don’t judge others for their choices.
God is merciful and forgiving.

THINGS I LIKED:

The doctor who performs the abortion at the beginning of the movie is a real doctor who performed 1,200 abortions in real life until he changed his stance. He now supports the pro-life cause.
The movie tries to present matter-of-fact statistics. They are simply staggering.
I liked that Abby tried to make peace with the pro-life activists outside the fence when she was the clinic director. How about we all show more respect and love and less judgment? We’re all just trying to do the best we know how.
It displays cruel people shaming the girls who walk into the abortion clinic, but it also shows compassionate people fighting for the same cause but in a more respectful way.
It shines a light on the deceitful practices of Planned Parenthood. Frightened girls who don’t know what to do about their unwanted pregnancy should be given ALL of the options and told the truth about the procedures.
I know women who have had abortions. In private, they have shared their regrets and admit that they live with the guilt and emotional pain of their choices every day. I’m glad that the movie touched on that aspect.
The actress who played Abby Johnson took the role even though she was told she might be blackballed from Hollywood. She revealed in an interview that her own mother was in a clinic to have an abortion when she decided it was wrong and decided to have her. Wow.
Check out all of the touching comments that were posted on YouTube on this movie trailer below.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It feels like another Christian movie and will be labeled as one, preventing a lot of people who need to see this movie from doing so. Abortion is not a religious issue; it is a human rights issue.
Some of the acting is pretty bad.
The dialogue is a bit stiff in places.
I can’t imagine being married to someone who believes something so morally different from what I believe. It was impressive how supportive Abby’s husband was during her entire journey.
You know what else is staggering? The number of people who have pre-marital sex without even thinking about the consequences. What’s more effective at lowering the abortion rate than a Planned Parenthood pamphlet is teaching people to have some self-control, self-respect, and to make wiser choices about their own body.
It was sad to hear how many boyfriends who knocked up their girlfriends bailed on the scared girls in their hour of need.
At first, I thought the woman who was the director of the clinic and then promoted to the national office was way over-the-top, but then I heard a podcast with the real Abby Johnson who said that’s exactly how she was. Most of the lines in the movie were actual quotes out of her mouth.
The disrespectful things the abortion doctor said were actual quotes. Amazing. What’s even more amazing is that he performed thousands of abortions and has now turned into a pro-life activist. The man in the movie in that scene is the actual doctor who was there at that crucial moment when Abby Johnson watched an abortion for the first time and turned into a pro-life activist.

INTERESTING LINES:

“Never trust a decision you don’t want your mom to know about.” – Abby Johnson (Ashley Bratcher)
“No one ever said abortion was pretty.” – Abby
“They can get rid of your baby, but they can never get rid of the memory of your baby.” – Abby

Learn more about the real Abby Johnson and her story at:
Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader’s Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line by Abby Johnson (2014-12-01)