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You are here: Home / Home / Beauty and the Beast: A Review for Christian Parents

Beauty and the Beast: A Review for Christian Parents

in Elementary Age Kids, Home, Preteens, Reviews on 17/03/17

(Not everyone will agree with everything in this review, and that’s okay. I just want to give you the heads-up on the content so you can decide what’s right for your family. I’m going to tell you the facts, and my opinions on them.)

Beauty and the Beast: A Movie Review for Christian Parents, JenLassosTruth.comI love thematic consistency. I’m an English nerd at heart, so these things resonate with me. The new movie, Beauty and the Beast, is just like its main character–beautiful inside and out. Visually, the movie is sweeping and moody and gorgeous and monochromatic and colorful, all at just the right places. The cast is outstanding, and you’re going to love the end, when you get to see all the voice actors become human. The music is, of course, lovely and familiar. There’s some new music, too, and I think it works. Everything you love about the animated movie, you’re going to fall over for in the live-action movie.

But you’re probably not reading this so I can tell you all of that, so let’s get to it. What do you need to know before you plunk down your money for tickets?

The Gay Controversy

Beauty and the Beast found itself in the middle of a controversy after director Bill Condon commented that the Le Fou character has “a nice, exclusively gay moment” in the movie. This blew up. Lots of very vocal Christians were outraged, many demanding that the movie be boycotted. To say nothing of what was going in countries like Russia and Malaysia. So, should you be concerned?

No.

Beauty and the Beast: A Movie Review for Christian Parents, JenLassosTruth.com

Here’s what all you’ll find if you’re looking for LeFou’s sexuality. LeFou and Gaston have a close friendship, just like in the original. But by close, I don’t mean emotionally close, because let’s face it–it’s Gaston. He’s vain and selfish. Their closeness is the kind where, in high school, some goofball managed to make friends with the popular captain of the football team. So now he’s a lackey who fawns over the popular guy and thinks everything about him is great and tells him so. Because he’s afraid of being rejected by the cool guy. That’s the relationship between LeFou and Gaston.

It’s also common in movies to make the bootlicker very unmanly to heighten the brute machismo of the big guy. So, when LeFou is singing about Gaston, telling him all the time how great he is, and coming across as more effeminate, that’s what’s going on. Just like in the original. During the Gaston song, LeFou is dancing around and he ends a line with his back up against Gaston with Gaston’s arms around him, and asks, “Too much?” It’s for comic effect, not LeFou’s attempt to make a move.

Gaston asks LeFou why no woman has ever snatched him up. If Disney was out to make a big play, this would be the moment. But Le Fou answers that he has been told he’s “too clingy.” Given that his whole life is in service to Gaston’s whims and vanity, it’s funny. It sounds more like a funny way of saying that he needs to get a life than that he’s gay. Unless I’m not aware of some code, I’m not getting gay from “too clingy.” By the way, when Gaston can’t get Belle, LeFou tries to redirect him to the other women who swoon when they see him. (Earlier, he told the pining girls, “It’s never gonna happen.” I hardly think that was a “back off, he’s my man” move.)

I read one commentator who suggested that a conversation between LeFou and Mrs. Potts, where he says he and Gaston are “in a bad place,” and she says he can do better, is suggestively gay. I don’t get that. Why can’t it just be that LeFou deserves better treatment that how Gaston treats him? Again, unless there’s some code I don’t know about, this feels like we’re approaching rorschach territory. You can see what you want to see in it.

There’s a scene when the wardrobe attacks three men by spraying them with fabric, ribbon, wigs, and women’s clothes. Two are horrified, and one sashays happily away. It’s about two seconds. To me, it adds to a scene that is equally intense fighting and comedy. I don’t think it’s offensive any more than I think Timon in a grass skirt (The Lion King), Aladdin’s genie in a cheerleader uniform or harem costume, or Mulan in a male warrior’s gear are offensive. The reason is that in my reading, the biblical prohibition against cross-dressing isn’t about this.

Okay, so the “gay moment” comes at the very end during a ball. LeFou is dancing with a woman, they all change partners, and the man from the wardrobe scene (who’s now dressed as a man again) becomes his dancing partner. They don’t break into a passionate tango or start making out. They start dancing together for a few seconds before it goes to the next dancing partners, and the next, and so on.

I tried to find some pictures online to show you exactly what happens, but they aren’t up yet. Give it a few days, and I’ll bet they’ll be accessible through Google.

My Conclusion on That

Those are the facts about what happens in the movie, so it’s up to you to decide what’s right for your family. But in my opinion, an unromantic, comic dance embrace, calling himself “too clingy”, being able to do better, a man smiling in a dress, and two men briefly and unemotionally dancing together isn’t going to raise any flags or questions in kids’ minds. In fact, I don’t know what the conversation is in the gay community, but I’d be surprised if they’re confidently tagging any of this as a “gay moment.” It would seem weird that Disney would want to make a gay statement in this movie (because it’s an existing story, and the theme doesn’t lend itself), and this would be a lot of work to get there. I don’t buy it.

Here’s how I think this got overblown. Josh Gad, who plays LeFou, wanted to create some depth of character in his mind about LeFou. Actors do this all the time. They make up a backstory or motivations to make their characters more realistic. Faced with a character whose cartoon version was a full-on buffoon, Gad needed to dig a little deeper. And by the way, the script does a lot of the heavy lifting because this Gaston has an actual conscience and insight, neither of which Gaston possesses. So, sometimes, there are things about a character in the minds of the actors or writers that help them understand the characters, even if those things are never shared with the audience or reader. Remember when J.K. Rowling later said that Dumbledore was gay? This reminds me a lot of that.

What Else Do You Need to Know?

Besides the “gay moment” controversy, what else should parents know before taking their kiddos to see the movie?

It Can Be Scary and Intense

There are some scary scenes. Know this: This live-action version is definitely scarier and more intense in some scenes Beauty and the Beast: A Movie Review for Christian Parents, JenLassosTruth.comthan the original animated version. There are two scenes with the wolves, and they are scary. The beast is supposed to be scary (and not just because his tattered cloak looks like he borrowed it from Grizabella in Cats!), and he is. The first time you see him, he’s sneaking up on Maurice, who is about to take a rose from Beast’s garden. First, you see his figure before Maurice does, and then when Maurice snaps off the rose, the Beast jumps down and roars at him. There’s a similar jump-scare when he saves Belle from the wolves. And when he fights with and Beauty and the Beast: A Movie Review for Christian Parents, JenLassosTruth.comfully roars at the wolves, it’s intense. The other kind of scary moment with his appearance is when Belle goes to save Maurice in the castle and meets Beast, she asks him to come into the light so she can see his face. It’s the first time you see him, so it’s startling.

Disney does a good job of bringing down the intensity of the villagers vs. the castle battle. Because it’s villagers fighting coat racks, candlesticks, saucers, etc., it’s mostly humorous. But…

Hate Shows Its Ugly Face

There’s some pretty nasty hate in the movie. Gaston is deeply, darkly selfish. Not only is he willing to tie up Maurice and hope the wolves kill him, then get LeFou to lie for him, but he’s also willing to have Maurice (and Belle!) carted off to some sketchy mental hospital for not complying. Yikes. And when he goes after Beast, he really goes after him. First, he whips the villagers into a frenzy by telling lies that feed on their fear, and then he uses several weapons to try to kill the Beast once he gets to the castle. He even shoots Beast more than once, and you see Beast fall. (Spoiler alert: Beast actually dies…but is brought back to life, obviously. Can yourkids handle that?) There’s not blood or gore, but the sentiment is very violent. That can be scary.

Here’s the good news about Gaston. Although he’s selfish, vain, arrogant, violent, disloyal, and cruel–he is clearly the bad guy. Anyone will walk away seeing that all of those negative qualities are what makes him bad, and not someone you want to be (or be friends with).

Other Potential Pings on Your Radar

For Christian parents, other elements in the movie that might hit your biblical radar include: magic (the kind that is clearly prohibited in Scripture), heavy drinking (the Gaston song scene is just one scene in the pub), and Beauty and the Beast: A Movie Review for Christian Parents, JenLassosTruth.comdisrespecting your elders (Gaston turns on Maurice when he won’t let him marry Belle; this is the father of the woman he claims to love). Note that all of these were in the animated version, so no new content here. And do we really have to entertain discussions of beastiality? Does anyone seriously think that’s what’s going on here?

The one thing that you need to be aware of that was not in the original is that Beast refers twice to his (and everyone’s in the castle) condition as damnation. That’s not theologically correct, clearly, especially since he’s referring to a curse that came not from Eden, but from magic!

The Good Stuff

Now let me tell you what’s really good for your kids in the movie. The themes are appearance, true beauty, self-sacrifice, love, kindness, and independent thinking. Among others. Belle is an outstanding role model for little girls. Beauty and the Beast: A Movie Review for Christian Parents, JenLassosTruth.comShe’s smart, assertive, loving, modest, family-focused, brave, independent (without disrespecting her father), teachable, hard-working, and insightful. Even though she knows she’s different, she’s not willing to stop being herself so townsfolk will treat her better. She has the right priorities, and she’s committed to them. She even has the chance to escape the Beast but doesn’t take it because it means leaving him to die from his wounds in the woods. Later, she actually rides in on a white horse (in the yellow dress, no less) to try to save her father!

The Beast is cursed because he was shallow and selfish. He has to learn to be unselfish to break the curse. Once he allows himself to change enough to love Belle, he really loves her. Enough to let her go, even though he’s sure she’ll never come back. Because it’s the right thing to do.

The characters in the castle have a sweet community among themselves. There are great friendships, family relationships, and love relationships. They remain hopeful and make the best of what is definitely a tough situation. They stick together. And they immediately welcome Belle into their community.

You’re also going to see racial diversity in the opening ball scene and in the people cursed in the castle. There are even mixed-race couples.

We get more backstory on Belle’s and Beast’s mothers. They are sad stories, one of which becomes the story of a committed and loving father, and the other of which becomes the story of a selfish and misguided father. Both are sad. Both characters have to deal with their personal histories and find a way to heal from them instead of being destroyed by them. At some point, we all have a sad story, so this is a good way to introduce that idea to kids.

Something else great about the movie is the dress. You know, the yellow one. They’ve updated it, and it’s dreamy…

Bottom Line

To me, the thing you need to be wary of is the scary parts, which are short. But this is a deal-breaker for some kids. If that’s yours, just wait and see the movie in another year or two. For all the other stuff, it’s really a matter of conviction. I hope I’ve given you enough information to know what you should do for your family. If not, there’s something to be said for paying the money for a ticket to go preview it yourself before you take your kid(s) if they really want to see it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this review, and on the movie. Let me know what you think in the Comments!

16 Comments

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Comments

  1. Bridget says

    March 17, 2017 at 9:47 am

    Jen– thanks for this very thoughtful review. I appreciate it simply because it offers a perspective that addresses the current public “outrage.” Our family definitely will not be going to see this movie, but not because of any reason other than the fact that the original “Beauty” movie didn’t really float our collective boats. Our little one is a fan of animated movies, but more along the line of “Cars.”

    Reply
    • jennifer@bussey.me says

      March 17, 2017 at 11:17 pm

      Glad the review was helpful, Bridget! Even though your family isn’t into it, maybe this will give you enough information to be part of the conversation.

      Reply
  2. Pam Armold says

    March 17, 2017 at 7:18 pm

    We just saw it and I completely agree. When it was over I looked at Tami and said “That’s it?? That’s what all the stink has been about? Really not a big deal.”

    It was a beautiful retelling of an old story. There were some new pieces. We loved it. The beast was scary, I jumped several times, but I am a wimp.

    Great review Jen!!!

    Reply
    • jennifer@bussey.me says

      March 17, 2017 at 11:18 pm

      Right, that’s what happens when we have a knee-jerk reaction before we have all the information. Glad you loved the movie as much as we did. Do you think you’ll ever get over “Be Our Guest”?!?

      Reply
  3. Preston Waters says

    March 18, 2017 at 8:50 am

    We enjoyed the movie. We took both girls and their friends who had actually been Chip and Lefou in our community theater’s version. My only complaint was the removal of what I felt to be some of the best songs from the stage version: the Beast’s song, Human Again, and A Change in Me. I didn’t really like the addition of the new songs or changes in lyrics (call me a traditionalist…) However, my much more musical daughter liked the new material. As a parent my only concern would be the scary factor. If your kid would be scared by the witch turning into a dragon in Enchanted, then you should at least wait until it is on DVD and watch it on the small screen.

    Reply
    • jennifer@bussey.me says

      March 18, 2017 at 9:42 am

      Interesting. I’ve never seen the stage version, so I didn’t even realize there were other songs! Too bad those were left out since it sounds like those would have been good additions to the movie version. You’re right about the scary factor. That’s definitely something you don’t want to be surprised by in a gigantic theater. Thanks for the comments!

      Reply
  4. Sean says

    March 20, 2017 at 10:46 am

    Thank you for the detailed review. I strongly suspected that the gay character and gay scene was more subtle than the makers of the movie led us to believe; however, it is for that very reason that we have opted out of seeing it. As excited as we were about seeing it when we first saw the trailer (we really enjoyed the live action Cinderella), the fact remains that for whatever reason the makers of the movie chose to promote it as overtly gay. Disney also chose not to step forward and assert what your review indicates, that it may not be, for obvious politically correct reasons. As was pointed out no one would have likely thought anything unusual about the character or scene had those promoting the movie never went down that road, but unfortunately they did.

    Reply
    • jennifer@bussey.me says

      March 20, 2017 at 8:11 pm

      Thanks for taking the time to comment! We loved the live-action Cinderella, too, and I had forgotten about that in this context of Disney remaking its animated movies. I wonder what will be next… and if it can avoid controversy altogether (fingers crossed!)

      Reply
  5. Kathleen says

    March 23, 2017 at 10:37 pm

    Great write up, Jen!

    Reply
    • jennifer@bussey.me says

      March 24, 2017 at 1:56 pm

      Thanks, Kathleen! It has gotten a lot of mileage, so I think lots of parents wanted to know exactly what to expect. Glad you found it useful, too!

      Reply
  6. Loren says

    April 7, 2017 at 10:57 am

    Excellent review!!! My husband and I loved the movie but it was too scary for our 8 yr old daughter.

    Reply
    • jennifer@bussey.me says

      April 7, 2017 at 12:42 pm

      I can see that. Really, that was my main concern about the movie for younger kids, which is why I included some pictures. That beast is no-kidding scary when he opens up and roars!

      Reply
  7. Rebecca K. says

    April 19, 2017 at 11:36 pm

    Thank you so much, Jen, for doing this accurate, encouraging review, and from a Biblical perspective! Especially thank you on what you thought about the ‘gay controversy’! My sister and I refused to believe what we heard, and since we are both adults now, we told our parents that we wanted to see it for ourselves if it was true or not. Throughout the movie, we were tense, waiting for ‘the moment’, and when the movie was over, we’re like : “That’s it!?! It wasn’t even seductive!” We liked the movie so much that we went to see it again. We have the book and the soundtrack and cannot wait to have our parents watch it when it comes out on DVD!

    We are Christians too, and as much as I want to promote the movie on our blog, I was wary about doing so, afraid of what our other friends would think, and not sure how to put it, but you make me feel better! That’s what we thought, to us, Lefou and Gaston’s companionship was just like the cartoon and I wish people would leave it like that! Sorry to say this, but I think a lot of people WANT it to be a gay relationship, which makes me sad. I know gay people exist, and while I do not support their lifestyle because the Bible doesn’t, they are still people who need Jesus too! Thanks for writing this! God bless you. Sister in Christ, Rebecca

    Reply
  8. Kevin R. Tengesdal says

    April 21, 2017 at 4:39 pm

    I finally got around to seeing it last weekend. I was looking really hard for the big gay moment. The biggest gay moment that I saw that should/could have caused a tither was the opening scene with all the women dancing together. Interracial lesbians dancing? Oh my goodness. But, nope the controversy came to light with the same song and dance as in the original animated? Or was it that split second dance at the end? I guess some people (Bill Condon) have the better skills of hunting and tracking down controversies that are not there. Goodness.

    Reply
    • Kevin R. Tengesdal says

      April 21, 2017 at 4:41 pm

      Sorry, not Bill Condon, Franklin Graham is who I meant.

      Reply
    • jennifer@bussey.me says

      April 22, 2017 at 4:16 pm

      Right. We’re in a precarious position as Christians called to be in the world, but not of it. There’s plenty to get worked up about, for sure. And we could exhaust ourselves chasing every rabbit. Given your comments, you might be interested in this post if you haven’t seen it. Thanks for weighing in! http://jenlassostruth.com/okay-church-people-gone-off-rails/

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Jennifer, a lasso-toting blogger and kids' Bible study teacher. I help Christian parents disciple their kids in ways that are intentional and fun. Wouldn't it feel great to be confident that you're doing a good job nurturing and growing your kids' faith? I'll show you that you absolutely CAN do it, and together, we'll answer God's calling to bring up the next generation to be heroes of the faith. Read More…

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