Movies/Videos. For Church + Home.

Alleged

Summary: Alleged (not rated, but G in effect) was made to be romance/drama telling of the events that occurred behind the scenes of our nation and outside the courtroom during what is famously known as the Scopes “Monkey Trial” of 1925.

The lead character is Charles Anderson, a talented young reporter who feels stifled in his career by having to work for his deceased father’s newspaper in the small town of Dayton, Tenn. He sees the Monkey Trial as perfect timing to make his move into the big leagues of major journalism, or “the bigs.”

Charles manages to get himself right in the mix of the Trial of the Century. The problem arises when he is challenged to compromise many aspects of his personal character to make it big. Integrity, honesty, relationships and truth are all on the chopping block for him to be seen as successful.

The supporting cast is full of amazing and seasoned actors, such as J.R. Bourne, Colm Meaney, Brian Dennehy and Fred Dalton Thompson.

The film’s website states: “Alleged is a true story of conflicts that boiled over in 1925 but that remain simmering with us to this day—evolution and creation in the public schools, the role of science in society, and media sensationalism motivated by religious and political biases on all sides.”

The historical value of the film and potential for discussion make it worth seeing, though it must be said that the plot line is somewhat slow moving, and the acting abilities of the cast were in no way fully explored. For example, lead character Charles is well-portrayed by Nathan West, but comes off a bit one dimensional.

Use Scenarios: Homeschoolers studying history; students dealing with creation vs. evolution; men tempted to compromise character to get ahead or to sacrifice relationships for career; and possibly families, as long as the kids have a good attention span.

Discussion Questions:

1. How have you ever colored the truth to look better in a professional setting?
2. How did this movie affect the way you think about today’s possibly biased journalism?
3. When is it OK to tell someone a “tidbit” that another person has shared with you in confidence? Why?
4. Discuss the need for honesty and integrity in any relationship: marriage, friends, bosses, co-workers.
5. Discuss if the conflict between evolution and creation is still present today, and how it affects children and teens in school, with their friends, and within their families.

Watch a Clip:

Visit the film’s website to watch a clip of the movie.

Reviewed by: John Cox, NextGen coordinator for Foursquare’s Pacific Coast and Valleys District