Case Studies
MARKETPLACE MOVIE HIGHLIGHTS
Themes by Ed Moy
Baby Boom: The opening scene, through the opening credits, to the end of the dinner where the senior partner asks Diane Keaton to be a partner (about 8 minutes). Key issues are role of women in the workplace: Does the influx of women in the workplace influence how the workplace is won for Christ? Do you have to sacrifice your personal life to be successful (both Keaton and Wannamaker: Does he or she have it all? Can you have it all?), and excellence in your work (Keaton is really good at her job, how do you reach her for Christ?).
Doc Hollywood: The opening scene to the beginning of the opening credits (about 5 minutes). Key issues are the value of work: Is cosmetic surgery of less value than emergency medicine at a major urban hospital? Witness in a pressure environment (How do your workmates see or hear your faith?); and the quality of relationships (How would you befriend Michael J. Fox and what would your advice to him be?).
Broadcast News: The opening scene to the beginning of the opening credits (about 5 minutes). Key issue is whether God creates us predisposed to work and certain kinds of work (each child has certain personalities that lend themselves toward specific professions). There are also other worthwhile scenes: creating the "coming home" story (all about excellence in the workplace, the key issue being what is the role of excellence for Christians in the marketplace), and the casual debate around the water cooler (showing the interest among workmates to tackle big issues and the opportunity it brings for Christians).
Wall Street: Approximately 1 hour and 16 minutes into the movie, there is the "greed is good" scene (about 12 minutes). The key issue is the role of profit in the capitalist system (how should a Christian approach profit? Is it synonymous with greed? Are people/profit an "either-or" proposition?).
City Slickers: Soon after the opening credits, there is a scene where Billy Crystal is depressed about his work and then has to describe it to his son's classroom (about 10 minutes). The key issue is the value of different kinds of work (the kids understand the construction worker, but not Crystal, the radio advertising salesman), and the value of work and its relationship to self-image (Crystal and his friends have a low view of work, and he depresses the class by describing the pointless future they have in store).
Other movies that have good marketplace themes are:
Working Girl: Melanie Griffith's idea for purchasing a radio station is stolen by her boss but found out before her boss was able to act on it. She then used deception in order to be heard and eventually wins the day.
The Secret of My Success: Michael J. Fox pretends to be a vice president in his uncle's firm and rises to the top via sleeping with the boss' wife.
Robocop: a security corporation puts one of their policemen in a unnecessarily dangerous situation, hoping that he'll be injured so they can try an experiment on him.
9 to 5: three women deal with a chauvinist male boss.
Bright Lights-Big City: follows a naive young journalist to his first job in New York and his self destruction as he finds no satisfaction in his work, is lonely, and as a result, gets involved in drugs, sex, and the club scene.
As you can see, there is plenty of material to draw from. Of the many times that I have used this, to overwhelmingly positive results, the only complaints I've gotten is that some object to the language, and the sexual content (even after editing). So, I've taken the approach of warning the audience of the subject manner and giving them an opportunity to leave if they so desire. These recorded segments work great for the MTV-generation in college now. -MP
Ed Moy is an entrepreneur who is passionate about faith and work issues. His faith has grown from making mistakes both big and small. Prior to creating new companies, he worked for a large Wall Street private equity capital firm, was appointed by former President George Bush to head the federal Office of HMOs, and had a successful career with the nation's largest health insurer. He and his wife Karen, live on Capitol Hill in the heart of Washington, DC where they live out their other passion: urban ministry.
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