Comments on: Why Did Warner Bros. Have to Change the Trailers for 'Orphan'?

By: Pamela

Pamela — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:50:18 +0000

@Mary:
Mary i'm so with you on this one, SHAME o Warner Bros for not caring how this movie, its title and tralier will do to the children who maybe alone if abusive foster homes. Already facing verbal, emotional, and other forms of abuse.
I too will be boycotting ANYTHING Warner Bros, Dark Castle Entertainment, Leonardo Decrapio and anyone involves will ever make again, they crossed the line for me.

I secind this,@Mary: I fully agree. No sane adult will give this movie two thoughts. That's not the concern though. The true travesty is that children–some adopted, some not–will end up seeing this movie. The stigma this movie attaches to adopted children shows just how uncaring and desperate Hollywood is to turn a quick dollar.

Personally, I plan on boycotting Warner Bros. for a very long time. No films, no DVDs, nothing.

IF they choose to not release the movie, I will gladly see their movies. If they release this movie, I encourage all families to boycott anything they distribute or anything they have any affiliation with.

By: dee

dee — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:58:34 +0000

This movie kind of reminds me of "The Good Son". Except that time….it was the non-adopted kid who was the creepy evil one. That said….

It seems like the people getting all fired up and offended are the adopters and the adoption agencies. Many adopted people seem to be fairly well grounded in reality and also loved and raised well enough to be quite emotionally resilient. They are not the ones being hurt and upset by the movie line. All the outrage seems to be stemming from parents and agencies.

It's a bit like…. they're insecure about loving adopted and non-adopted children equally. The tone of the arguments are a bit defensive and focused on the questionable truth of the statement rather than on whether any adopted children have been hurt solely from that line. I think that…. this line would have much more strength if it was heard by an adopted child who WAS somehow mistreated….. And really…. "protecting the children" should be focused more on preventing any REAL maliciousness from happening in the real world than on having a movie line removed or altered.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:11:58 +0000

I have 2 adopted children and 2 not adopted…..the adoptions are both open, by the way….no hidden/lost forever birth parents….

I don't have a problem with the movie….it looks like a scary one! In fact, I came to this website to find out if the story was based on a book that I could read.

BUT! I would cringe if one of our sons heard the line in the trailer about How can you love an adopted child as much as…..? I think they would definately notice it……and i doubt if they would say anything to me, I am convinced the seed would be planted…..they don't need that. They already,being adopted, have some feelings that not adopted kids don't have. Who wouldn't have some feelings of abandonment or loss???

As for "it is just a movie…..it is just entertainment"……that is like explaining a gang rape away by saying "boys will be boys"…

By: chandra

chandra — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:00:45 +0000

Has it not occurred to anyone that freedoms are disappearing because of a few individuals who seem to find something offensive in everything??? THIS IS A MOVIE for ENTERTAINMENT…if you dont agree you dont have to watch!!!! And especially since the movie is rated with restriction if you let a "child" watch it you are a moron, find a babysitter, this movie was intended for mature audiences!!!!!If I dont agree with something on television i change the channel…..problem solved….move on!!
Opinions are like a**holes everyone has one.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:51:06 +0000

@Anna: "Further, little children who may be upset by such a line would not be exposed to it, since the movie is rated R, if their parents did their job. More people need to concentrate on protecting and parenting their own children rather than censoring the world to fit their ideals." That would be true of movie trailers didn't play on television almost endlessly. I've seen parts of films that deeply offend me over and over while watching the news. And that's not even allowing for the trailers that play before the feature in the theatre. You're not suggesting these children not be allowed to go the movies at all, are you? I also think that it's become popular to accuse our society of becoming offended too easily. Too PC. But people only seem to want to say that about the things that don't personally offend them. Those things that do affect them, it seems, are a different story. We need to listen to the parents of these adopted children and hear what they have to say.

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:41:02 +0000

@Patricia: I don't think she is supposed to be Jewish. She has a slightly Spanish accent with a bit of British mixed in. I bet she will turn out to be the ghost of an upper class Spanish child, or something along those lines. Once again, people need to calm down. Most of the child demons or evil kids in movies have been blond and blue eyed. Remember Macaulay Culkin? The Bad Seed kid? Children of the Corn? By the way, Spaniards are Caucasian and Esther is also a name used among Spanish-speaking people, not too mention being just an old-fashioned name among pretty much all English-speaking peoples. It's a biblical name.

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:32:21 +0000

I guess it was good of them to remove that line from the trailer for fear an adopted child would see it and get upset. However, I think the adoptive parents needs to calm down. Too many people in our society get "offended" too easily. I think we need to be judicious in our use of protest and the claim that something "offends". Things like racism, homophobia, etc., begin to lose their ability to shock and outrage when too many people use the claim of offense to censure art.
I think it is also very important to note that it wasn't the mother or father who uttered the "questionable" statement, but rather, a troubled child. Further, little children who may be upset by such a line would not be exposed to it, since the movie is rated R, if their parents did their job. More people need to concentrate on protecting and parenting their own children rather than censoring the world to fit their ideals.

By: lindsay

lindsay — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:47:18 +0000

The quote should not be offensive to anyone at all. If you haven't noticed, the deranged little physco girl is saying the quote, she obviously wants everyone to think that thats why she lashes out in the movie like that. Nobody should get offended by it because the little girl is saying it who is crazy. its not like its the tagline of the movie. They have spent too much money to make this movie, and people who aren't offended which is most, really want to see this movie and boycotting will not be effective as to stop playing the movie. plus, there are so many movies like this its unbelievable. People can have their opinions, but i know most people after seeing this movie will just have a thrill, and will NOT come out from watching the movie thinking differently about older adopted kids or and orphans at all. so everyone needs to calm down.

By: peacebewithyou

peacebewithyou — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:54:55 +0000

@Darolyn: so, shelter them some more...because reading your views tells me they are sheltered children. While you're at it make sure they don't ever discover that some men love other men the way women love men and that there are mean people in the world who would take their toys and steal their candy.

By: peacebewithyou

peacebewithyou — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:52:31 +0000

If this were a documentary…..that line would be sad…..and true…..but its not…..it's fiction. Therefore, allllllll this shit is made up……including that line. Get a life.

By: A mom

A mom — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:08:04 +0000

First of all, Mara, don't assume that all of us adoptive parents are opposed to opening up original birth certificates. Far from it.

But that is really not what this conversation is about. I'm pissed about the movie because it perpetuates stereotypes about adopted people (even going so far as to equate adopted children with the inhuman) and will influence how teens and young adults see adoption. It brings out the mama bear in me, on behalf of my amazing kids.

By: Mara

Mara — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:12:18 +0000

A lot of adoptive parents are angry about one line in this film: It must be hard to love an adopted child like your own.

They are angry about this movie line but are perfectly content that their adopted child has a birth certificate that was permanently sealed from him/her and a falsified "amended" one issued.

Adoptees have to live their lives carrying around amended birth certificates and are NEVER allowed to see their original birth certificates containing their true names and the names of his/her true biological parents. Adopting parents get to have their names placed on the amended certificates as the birth parents! What lies!!!! These violations of a childs rights does not concern the protestors because it works for them! It is not their ethnicities, their heritages that are sealed. No, their newly purchased child will be forced to accept these lies are his/her truth. These self-righteous people own the copyrights to their adopted child's identity and could care less that it's FICTION that is on their child's birth certificate.

It is downright disgraceful and pathetic what people choose to protest.

Getting angry over one-liners and not giving a hoot about our (adoptees) civil rights is laughable.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/orphan-movie-t-shirts-for-open-records

I'm wearing my Orphan movie t-shirt on opening day: http://www.cafepress.com/orphanesther

By: Darolyn

Darolyn — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:19:04 +0000

I have a biological child who is 7 and an adopted child who is 4. How do I explain to my 7 year old his little sister isn't going to hurt him when he goes to bed at night? Believe me, they won't see the movie. They do see the commericals on TV. We as adults, understand THIS IS A MOVIE! But, to 4 and 7 year old children…not so much.

By: Margaret Schwartz

Margaret Schwartz — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:27:34 +0000

Is there any point to this movie other than to 'dump' on adopted children as being damaged and dangerous'? Certainly many folks can remember when sterotypes about blacks, Jews, poor people and other segments of our population were reinforced by characters in the movies and see how far the movie industry has changed–based on our response to their productions. And while people know that 'it's just a movie' we have to remember the impact that this medium has on us. Remember the uproar by the Catholic Church over "The Da Vinci Code"? The point here is that a good movie, book or other artistic endeavor should entertain, educate and stimulate conversation about a subject matter. Although I do not plan to see this movie, and I hope it is a major failure, I do hope that it gives adoption advocates like myself the opportunity to promote this choice to grow a family, regardless of the child's age or origin. I have tried unsuccessfully to get my adoption book optioned for a movie–perhaps because there is no violence or sex in it. It's just a true story of how one person made a decision that changed the lives of two children forever. Now who wants to read about that?

By: PC Crybaby

PC Crybaby — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:48:47 +0000

I am an adoptive parent and I think the point that all these nay-sayers are missing is that we fight negative stereotypes every day. I agree that it makes the movie less offensive that the child in question is an "undead" or some other freak of nature and not an actual human, apparently. HOWEVER, I'd like to hear the outcry if this movie said something to the effect of "It must be hard to love your gay child as much as your straight child." If that were the case, you'd have the whole darn country revolting, but the foster care system and adoptive parents are easily dismissed because we aren't a "politically correct" victim group that is in vogue at the moment. Despite the press Angelina and Madonna have given to adoption lately, we're still not a "protected" group from the mainstream media and ACLU sorts. When you accept a trailer for a movie that bashes gays, Muslims, or the poor, then talk to me about it be "just a movie" and we'll sit down and have a meaningful conversation. Until you can accept that there are genuinely hurtful things that can be said in the name of entertainment and topics that should be avoided just out of pure good taste, then it's difficult to have an intelligent conversation on the matter. I'm not necessarily saying the movie shouldn't have been made, I am fine with the premise because Esther is not human, but I do take offense at the title and the line that Warner Bros. removed from the trailer. They were wise to do so!

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:22:39 +0000

@Mary: I fully agree. No sane adult will give this movie two thoughts. That's not the concern though. The true travesty is that children–some adopted, some not–will end up seeing this movie. The stigma this movie attaches to adopted children shows just how uncaring and desperate Hollywood is to turn a quick dollar.

Personally, I plan on boycotting Warner Bros. for a very long time. No films, no DVDs, nothing.

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:22:27 +0000

I'm far from a PC crybaby and not easily offended. My son was adopted and I have worked in the foster care system for many years. I do feel that any adult whose regard for children in foster care could be negatively swayed by the movie would have to be a complete idiot – my concern is more for the negative impression left on children/teens (and let's not pretend that the rating will prevent kids from sseing this movie) about children in the foster care system.

While this movie will probably not alter the future of society, the themes are just poorly thought-out and irresponsible.

Maybe Warner Brothers should make up for it by countering it with some scholarships for kids aging out of foster care and other pro-adoption efforts.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:02:32 +0000

@rolling_streetcar: You know I have to agree with everything you said because you convinced me when you called me a "P.C. crybaby." I love an eloquent argument.

By: rolling_streetcar

rolling_streetcar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:04:07 +0000

@Patricia: This is just a movie. It looks pretty lame, and will most likely be a box office flop. It's not like they're showing the trailer before Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian, for Christ's sake. It's a horror film. It is not meant to be taken as reality. Anyone who is offended by this is simply a P.C. crybaby. It's one line in an entire film. Get over it.

By: redghost

redghost — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:54:59 +0000

You are correct it is just a movie. However as an adoptive parent I find it very offensive and I am one who does not get offended easily. WB did the correct thing in replacing the trailer, as for watching it I exercise my right not to just as others can if they so choose.

By: Viral

Viral — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:03:02 +0000

putting all the controversies on a back burner for a minute… this looks good for a few scares… i liked the trailers for joshua more than the actual movie… and some how horror movies with kids in it do give me a genuine scare… this movie looks good..

is it just me or "Esther" look like a miniature model of Madonna? Madonna always scares me…

By: R

Sun, 31 May 2009 23:07:37 +0000

I caught the trailer today before Drag Me To Hell. I had heard that there was some sort of controversy over it but wasnt sure what the whole story was. Being adopted and having viewed the trailer I found nothing offensive about it. I can kind of see where it could cause some tender feathers to get ruffled but the old saying goes…"ITS JUST A FUCKING MOVIE!" If you're going to get all up in arms over some dumb advertisement for a film that Saarsgaard is slumming it in then you have way too much time on your hands. If you think your child is gonna be damaged by something said in a commercial…maybe thats your parent light going off and you need to step it up a bit. Meanwhile, I'm trying to watch a film.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:54:35 +0000

@Michael: "They can do soo much worse in movies and not give it away and nobody complains." Sorry, but that is a childish argument. What is presented and accepted as entertainment is a reflection of the mores of society. Yes, this is another entry into the horror genre of films. It's meant to be no more and no less. But somehow it's come dangerously close to violating some people's sense of dignity. Those people have the right to object. The film makers are honoring their viewpoint by making a slight alteration in the diaglogue of a premiew of the film. It's little enough. But I am still offended by their use of a stereotypical looking Jewish girl with the name of Esther. Nothing can be done about that. @Chris C: Love as a theme of this movie? I don't think so.

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:13:49 +0000

I think that people are over exagerating a little bit. Maybe they should have not included that line in the marketing but at the end of the day it's a movie. They can do soo much worse in movies and not give it away and nobody complains. This is truly ridiculous

By: Andelle

Andelle — Sun, 31 May 2009 06:24:23 +0000

I think you bring out a good point, Brad, about "it's just a movie" being a cop out statement.

I'm not offended at all by this line. I think most should be able to realise that a film is allowed to be stimulating and bring up powerful themes. The viewer doesn't need to be offended by any issues close to home because the film's ideas don't have to apply to the viewer. At the end of the day, a film can be moving or make you think etc. yet you can go on with your own life as you always have, knowing, for example, that although you are adopted, your parents love you like their own.

Removing the line from the trailer was still a good move in my opinion though for those who don't like the premise. People can be geniunely offended and removing the line from the trailer doesn't hurt the film.

By: Seiko

Seiko — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:19:39 +0000

It is just a movie. They should've told these annoying people (who made the complaint to change it) to leave them alone. I mean it's not like they are going to air this trailer on Cartoon Network or something.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:08:20 +0000

For everyone who thinks the premise of this film is OK, that's your right. @rolling_streetcar: You're so articulate and well spoken that it's hard to argue with you. I feel sorry for ANY adopted kid with the message of this film. Anyone have a problem with a dark haired little girl named "Esther" as the bad girl? I do.

By: GregM

GregM — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:04:53 +0000

WB should change the title to 'Esther'.
"Adopted or not, it must be hard to love a child named Esther."

Seems a little misplaced though, the MPAA slapped a green band on the original trailer, any complaints should go to them. I can understand Eldridge's concerns considering that an adopted child might hear the line and take it to heart. Pertman's just trying to get his organizations name out there.

Anyone who doesn't want to adopt an older child after watching Orphan should check out Harry Potter, he's older than Esther and also a wizard.

By: Chris C

Chris C — Sat, 30 May 2009 20:52:43 +0000

I don't see a problem with the line at all. As you stated in your article Brad, "Movies are meant to move you, entertain you, enlighten, inform, test and stimulate you." Well I'm guessing that a theme of this movie will be loving your children no matter what, and that the emotional arc of Vera Farmiga's character will be loving this child as her own and that the line in question is foreshadowing toward the loving the child no matter what conclusion (because there's no way a studio would go the opposite way…think of the negative press).

I can understand somebody having a problem with the isolated line though, as it does call love into question.

By: provemewrong

provemewrong — Sat, 30 May 2009 16:11:56 +0000

It's a MOVIE about a creepy child murderer, not a documentary.