Was 2007 the Year of the Pro-Life Movie?

Mark Moring has an interesting read at Christianity Today's Web site. He recalls all the popular movies in 2007 that feature life-affirming responses to unexpected pregnancy in films such as "Knocked Up," "Waitress," "Juno," "Bella," and "August Rush.":

To some, it was a year of war movies and "statement" flicks—including In the Valley of Elah, Lions for Lambs, and Rendition. Meanwhile, David Poland of Movie City News declared 2007 "Oscar's Year of the Man," noting that of the top sixteen contenders for best picture, only three were headlined by women.

But others noticed a different trend: In some ways, 2007 was the Year of Pro-Life Cinema.

From the church-friendly Bella to the raunchy Knocked Up, film after film depicted its main character facing an unplanned pregnancy and opting not for abortion, but for carrying the unborn child to term. Sometimes the mother kept the baby (Knocked Up, Waitress), and sometimes she gave the baby up for adoption (Bella, Juno, August Rush). But in each of these films, the mother, and sometimes the father, made a critical decision that was decidedly "pro-life."

Of course among these films, only Juno got major Oscar nods (nominations for Best Directing and Best Film), but when it comes to the votes that matter most to studios, ticket sales, they did fairly well. [Statistics from BoxOfficeMojo.com]:

• "Juno" -- $87.1 million worldwide revenue
• "August Rush" -- $50.8 million worldwide
• "Bella" -- $7.7 million worldwide ($3.3 million production budget)
• "Knocked Up" -- $218.9 million worldwide ($30 million budget)
• "Waitress" -- $22.0 million worldwide