Christian music star Velasquez criticized for scenes in new movie
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A new movie starring contemporary Christian music's Jaci Velasquez has received thumbs down from two family oriented websites for its moral content and the scenes in which the singer appears.
Such criticism has led to debate on Velasquez fan websites and a response from the singer herself.
The movie, a comedy called "Chasing Papi," is rated PG and was released April 16 by 20th Century Fox. The plot involves three single women -- "Cici," "Lorena" and "Patricia" -- who think they have found the perfect man, "Tomas." After discovering that he has been dating all three simultaneously, each woman tries to get him to pick her.
Three scenes involving Velasquez, who plays "Patricia," have received the most criticism.
In one scene, all three women end up at Tomas' house without knowing of the other's presence. Then, according to Screenit.com, the three women "all walk out from different rooms in Tomas' place, hoping to surprise him, but instead see each other. Each is wearing lingerie he bought them...." Tomas, it turns out, isn't at home.
In a later scene, Cici "tears or otherwise modifies Lorena and Patricia's clothing to make them look sexier for a dance number....," Screenit.com reports.
In a third scene, "all three women sleep on the bed" with an unconscious Tomas, according to "Plugged In Film Reviews."
Velasquez, who recently released her latest album "Unspoken," and whose single, "You're My God," is climbing the Christian charts, addressed the criticism in a letter to fans on her website.
"I hear that there are many questions about the movie, especially now since people are seeing the trailer or previews out in theaters," she wrote. "To put your minds at rest, No I haven't left my personal faith in God, and I don't ever intend to."
She added that "by the grace and power of God" she was able to witness to those on the movie set. She said she was "surprised" by the content of the trailer, which includes clips from some of the controversial scenes.
"The trailer doesn't really tell the complete story," she said. "... I am grateful for the production company, because they allowed me to change and edit several scenes that I was uncomfortable doing because of my beliefs. The process of deciding to enter Hollywood was a very thoughtful, prayerful one. I constantly consulted my family and pastor to make sure I was answering my calling."
But two family oriented websites that review movies say Christians should steer clear of the movie. One of those is Focus on the Family's Plugged In Film Reviews.
"Don't let Jaci's starring role mislead your family," wrote Plugged In's Steven Isaac. "Chase teens and tweens away from Papi."
Isaac quoted teenager Alena Takii of Whittier, Calif., as saying, "How can Jaci Velasquez represent the Contemporary Music industry in the skimpy outfits she wears in her new movie 'Chasing Papi?' I like her music and can understand that she wants to break into the mainstream industry to reach out to the rest of the world, but is she really giving herself a good name by choosing to be in a movie that compromises what she stands for as a Christian?"
In the movie trailer, Velasquez's character is more modestly dressed than the other two women, including in the lingerie scene. But Plugged In's Isaac said the scene has obvious inferences.
"There's no other way to interpret the implications of this 'lingerie scene' as anything other than sexual," he wrote. "Women simply don't bounce into a man's bedroom wearing trench coats and little else for any purpose other than sex."
Another family movie reviewer, Alan Boyer of Preview Family Movie & TV Review, gave the movie a "- 1 1/2" rating on the acceptability scale, which, according to the website's criteria, means the movie is "quite objectionable."
"Both the moral content and the entertainment value of this film are low; you would be better off not 'Chasing Papi,'" he wrote.
A third family-oriented movie review website, Movieguide.org, was less critical than the aforementioned family websites but did advise "caution, especially for parents of the teenagers who might be attracted to this movie."
The controversy has led to much discussion by fans on unofficial Velasquez website forums. At one website, alwaysjaci.com, one fan wrote, "I don't think I'll see it after what I saw in the preview. No offense to Jaci or anything, I just don't feel right about it." On another website, jacimedia.com, some fans also were squeamish. One wrote, "Sometimes I want to give Jaci a hug ... and sometimes I want to strangle her. Sigh." Another wrote, "It's just that the movie plot and implications weren't the best for someone like her to be in."
A fan on alwaysjaci.com was critical of the way Velasquez dresses on and off screen. "It's acceptable by the worlds [sic] standards to dress like that, but that doesn't mean it's right. I think women should dress modestly, and not in a way that might encourage guys to lust."
But others fans defended the movie and the CCM star. One fan on alwaysjaci.com said that Velasquez did not compromise her Christian values: "I know a lot of people were upset about the [lingerie] scene and there were rumors of her drinking alcohol, but after seeing it, Jaci was highly respectable and moral in all of her actions. If you haven't seen the movie yet, get out there -- it's really funny and cute!!"
A fan on jacionline.net wrote, "God has blessed her so much! Why [can't] people appreciate what God is doing for Jaci!?"
Velasquez is the feature of a cover story in the latest issue of CCM magazine in which she talks about her dating relationships and openly says that she is a virgin. She also addresses an issue her mother says is the subject of frequent fan mail -- the way Velasquez dresses.
"Every Latin journalist wants to know why I dress so conservatively," Velasquez told CCM. "They always ask, 'Why don't you ever show your body?' It's amazing to me that in the Latin market I'm considered conservative, and yet in the Christian market I always get letters saying, 'You dress too sexy. I was offended; I'm never taking my kid to your show again.'"
The movie opened in only 585 theaters -- many movies open in more than 2,000 theaters -- and finished 11th its first weekend with a gross of $2,404,557. It did better in average gross per theater, finishing fourth among the top 11.
During her career Velasquez, 23, has recorded 16 No. 1 songs in the Christian and Latino market. She won the 1999 Dove Award for female vocalist of the year.
