The Bachelor

MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA)

for language.

Reviewed by: Scott Ward
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating:	Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience:	Teens Adults
Genre:	Romantic Comedy
Length:	1 hr. 41 min.
Year of Release:	1999
USA Release:

Featuring	Chris O'Donnell, Renée Zellweger, James Cromwell, Mariah Carey, Brooke Shields
Director	Gary Sinyor
Producer
Distributor	New Line Cinema, division of Warner Bros. Pictures

Remember the early ’80s film “Brewster’s Millions” in which a man has to spend exactly $30 million in 30 days to earn $100 million? In a similar vein comes “The Bachelor”.

Chris O'Donnell plays a likeable guy who can’t commit to marriage. As his friends all get married, he continues to enjoy the dating life, until various signs point him toward the altar. After a botched attempt at a proposal, he learns that his grandfather has left him a large amount of money, if he gets married within 3 days. His girlfriend (Rene Zellwager) leaves town after yet another botched proposal. From there, it’s off to the races to get the young man a bride!

“The Bachelor” is certainly not overly offensive… some bad language (warranting the PG-13 rating), plus a few references to sex. There was also the sense that marriage is something women have to drag men kicking and screaming into. Since I believe God created marriage for His glory, I found this idea a bit difficult to stomach.

On a positive note, there is no nudity. There are also several good laughs, and a positive Christian role model—a priest who teaches the young man about the value of marriage.

Unfortunately, the movie does drag a bit. The filmmakers apparently felt (quite rightly) that hundreds of brides-to-be chasing a man through San Francisco was funny—and it was… for about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, the scene lasts about 15 minutes, and seems to repeat itself.

All in all, “The Bachelor” is just fair. It’s a little slow and mildly offensive, but no more than most modern TV programs. Best seen off of the big screen.

…my wife, children and I got up and walked out in the middle of the film. Crude language is used every couple of minutes, the Lord’s name is taken in vain regularly. This movie is without merit in my opinion. And it’s too bad. The premise had potential, but the constant use of vulgarity makes it unacceptable. My Ratings: [1½/2]

John Geddie, age 42

I thought “The Bachelor” had a very positive message: it’s better to wait and marry the right person for the right reasons than to marry because of outside pressure, even the pressure of a hundred million dollars. This is a message that Christian single people need to hear, because it is the opposite of what they are hearing in church. I also liked the way the role of the priest was transformed through the course of the movie from sort of a joke at the beginning to a very wise source of advice at the end. I found the characters likeable and thought it was a very funny movie. My Ratings: [4/4]

Dave, age 30

Well, a good film with a moderate dose of ojbectionable material. It screams with marriage sterotyping, yet it does so tastefully. Our hero isn’t sure that he wants to commit to marriage. He fails at proposing to the woman he loves. And, when $100 million is dangled before him, he forgets love and is determined to marry anyone. He realizes marriage is a lifetime commitment and not a game to be played for money… My Ratings: [2½/4]

Brian McClimans, age 24

“The Bachelor” was a pretty good movie on the whole. There were a couple of scenes that I would have been uncomfortable with if I would have seen it with a boy, such as all of the women wearing inappropriate wedding dresses running everywhere etc. There wasn’t too much language, and no nudity, but there were several references. My Ratings: [3½/3]

Diana, age 16