Unplanned - A Movie Review, Sort Of

First, a little background. I went to see the movie "Unplanned" Monday. Seems rather apt, since I wasn't planning on seeing it, until I became aware of the coordinated efforts on the Left to keep this movie from being seen. There was an overall media blackout. I hadn't heard any buzz about it, and aside from an occasional ad on Fox (props to them, by the way), I'd heard nothing about it. Seems that they tried to buy ads on Lifetime, Hallmark and HGTV, who weren't accepting its ads. Twitter was playing Mickey Mouse games with the movie's Twitter account followers, unfollowing them, hiding the account.

And then, irony of ironies, the movie was given an "R" rating! Totally unjustified! I watched a program on broadcast TV a couple of nights ago, where a man was brutally stabbed to death, in a much more graphic display of violence than anything you will see in this movie. So imagine people who think that fifteen year olds should be able to get an abortion without their parents' permission, cannot watch a movie about abortion, without their parents' permission!

Why doesn't the Left want anyone to see this movie? Because it gives an honest portrayal of Planned Parenthood and their place in the abortion industry. Unplanned is the story of Abby Johnson, an idealistic young woman who went to work for PP, and in eight years, became their youngest clinic director in the nation. This story is, as they say in the vernacular, "ripped from the headlines", which provides fodder for countless TV shows and movies, but this movie shows an honest and unflattering peek behind Planned Parenthood's closed doors, which made it  radioactive to the usual media suspects.

But Abby Johnson is no plaster saint. She had one failed marriage and two abortions herself. The pro-life protesters are not air brushed. Some outside the clinics shout "Baby killer", one wears a Grim Reaper outfit. The movie flashes back to Abby's college days where she is recruited as a PP volunteer. The lead actress, Ashley Bratcher, does an excellent job of portraying this woman on her journey to enlightenment. The supporting cast is good, perhaps not as polished as they might be, but considering the size of the budget and the subject matter, the cast is solid. There's even a cameo by "That Pillow Guy", Mike Lindell, who helped finance the project.

The accompanying music was quite good, considering the fact that a number of people refused to license their music for use in the movie.

Unplanned is the 'Little Movie That Could', overcoming opposition and great odds to tell a story that every teenage child in the country should see, before they consider an abortion for themselves, or helping a friend to get one.



In spite of all the obstacles placed in its way, "Unplanned" finished in 5th place at the box office this weekend. It is heart tugging and heart breaking at times, but well worth the price of admission. I give it four out of five stars.

As Alexandra DeSanctis put it, "None of it is easy to watch. But none of it is a lie."