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Raw

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General Review

Parent's Guide to Raw

Eddie Murphy: Raw, released in 1987, is a highly acclaimed stand-up comedy film featuring comedian Eddie Murphy's live performance at New York City's Felt Forum. The film opens with a pre-taped sketch depicting a childhood Thanksgiving and then transitions into Murphy's 90-minute routine. His performance is known for its energetic, unfiltered, and often controversial humor, delving into topics such as relationships, marriage, sex, divorce, and various racial and sexual stereotypes prevalent at the time. The film gained significant commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing stand-up concert film, yet its content has also drawn criticism, with Murphy himself later expressing remorse for some of the jokes. It is intended for mature audiences due to its explicit language and adult themes.

Things to Consider

High4

LGBTQ & Gender Identity

The film contains explicit offensive language and derogatory remarks concerning homosexuality. Eddie Murphy directly addresses past criticisms from homosexual viewers and uses offensive terms. The creator has since expressed remorse for these 'ignorant' jokes.

Eddie Murphy mentions that 'homosexual viewers' were 'offended by his jokes about 'faggots'' from his previous stand-up special, 'Delirious,' directly addressing the controversial and offensive nature of such language. Additionally, Eddie Murphy later labeled his jokes in 'Raw' that touched on homosexuality and used offensive words towards the gay community as 'ignorant,' acknowledging the problematic nature of the material.

Romance and Sexual Content

The film features extensive and explicit discussions of sexual acts, relationships, marriage, and divorce, often using crude and graphic language. Topics include promiscuity, sexual transmitted infections (STIs), and the financial aspects of divorce, presented in a highly adult and uncensored manner.

Profanity

Profanity is pervasive and extremely frequent throughout the film, a defining characteristic of Eddie Murphy's 'raw' comedic style. The film set a record for the number of times the word 'fuck' was used upon its release, and its R-rating is explicitly justified by its language.

Disrespect & Rebellion

Disrespect and rebellion are central to Eddie Murphy's comedic style in 'Raw.' He openly parodies and criticizes celebrities and societal norms, and the film begins with a scene of childhood defiance. His humor often challenges authority and conventional expectations.

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Medium1
Substance Use
Low4
ViolenceWitchcraft & OccultScary & Intense ContentAnti-Christian Themes
Medium1

Substance Use

The film includes depictions of alcohol use through a comedic impression of a character who is drunk. While not glorifying drug abuse, it features a character's behavior influenced by alcohol.

Low4

Violence

The media, being a stand-up comedy film, contains no depicted physical violence. Mentions of violence are purely anecdotal and non-graphic, focusing on reactions to parodies rather than actual physical altercations.

Witchcraft & Occult

No elements of witchcraft, sorcery, occult practices, magic rituals, demons, spells, or other supernatural themes are present or discussed in the content of the film.

Scary & Intense Content

The film is a stand-up comedy special and does not contain any intentionally scary, frightening, horror, or suspenseful content. Its intensity comes from the comedic delivery and explicit nature of the jokes, not from fear-inducing elements.

Anti-Christian Themes

The film does not contain explicit anti-Christian themes. While it touches on various stereotypes and controversial social topics, there is no direct mockery, criticism, or sacrilegious portrayal of Christian beliefs, symbols, or figures.

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Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) presents a comedic worldview that largely contradicts biblical values, focusing heavily on themes of relationships, marriage, and sex through an often cynical and materialistic lens. Murphy's routines frequently delve into explicit language and adult themes, including infidelity, divorce, and various racial and sexual stereotypes, which stand in stark contrast to Christian teachings on purity, faithfulness, and honoring others. The humor often rewards vice through laughter, portraying situations of moral compromise without clear moral accountability. For example, Murphy's extended commentary on the financial risks of marriage and divorce, driven by fear of losing wealth, underscores a materialistic view of relationships rather than a covenant rooted in selfless love and commitment. The film also includes jokes about infidelity, suggesting that men will never remain faithful, which directly opposes the biblical call for fidelity in marriage. The worldview presented leans heavily towards relativism and materialism, where personal gratification and financial self-preservation often outweigh moral considerations. There are no overt redemption themes; instead, the narrative centers on Murphy's observations and experiences, often highlighting human brokenness and societal flaws without offering a path towards grace, forgiveness, or sacrifice. Family values, while touched upon in nostalgic childhood anecdotes, are often undermined in the context of adult relationships, with portrayals of dysfunctional dynamics and a lack of emphasis on healthy, God-honoring family structures. The film also notably features a segment where Murphy recounts a phone call with Bill Cosby, who reportedly reprimanded him for using profanity in his act, illustrating a contrast in comedic approaches but not offering a direct faith representation. Overall, for Christian parents, the explicit content, cynical view of relationships, and absence of biblical moral frameworks would likely be a significant concern, making it a film that requires discernment and discussion if viewed at all, given its strong departure from Christian ethical principles.

Additional Context

Best For Ages

Recommended for ages 18+ due to pervasive strong language, explicit discussions of sexual themes and relationships, and derogatory remarks concerning gender identity and sexuality. The content is adult-oriented and features themes and language inappropriate for younger audiences, particularly given the offensive nature of some of the jokes by today's standards.

Good to Know

The user prompt requested an analysis for 'Raw (1993) tv'. Based on comprehensive searches, there is no prominent TV series titled 'Raw' from 1993 for which parental content reviews are readily available, apart from 'WWE Raw', which is a professional wrestling program. The media most consistently identified with 'Raw' and the characteristics of parental guidance concerns (age ratings, explicit content) is 'Eddie Murphy: Raw,' a stand-up comedy film released in 1987. This analysis has focused on 'Eddie Murphy: Raw' due to its notorious adult content aligning with the scope of the request. Eddie Murphy has publicly expressed regret for some of the jokes in 'Raw,' particularly those considered homophobic and misogynistic, highlighting how societal standards and perceptions of acceptable comedy have evolved since its release. Parents should be aware that the content reflects 1980s comedic sensibilities, which may include material now widely considered offensive.

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