'Irreplaceable' Offers Unabashedly Biblical View of Family

Irreplaceable is a 90-minute argument in favor of the traditional, Biblical definition of the family unit.

That puts it directly in the cross hairs of a more modern, progressive view of family, witness a new online petition asking theaters not to show the film.

Irreplaceable is slated to reach more than 700 theaters all the same at 7:30 p.m. May 6. The event production is presented by Fathom Events, Focus on the Family and Pine Creek Entertainment. Tickets can be purchased at the film’s official web site – www.IrreplaceableTheMovie.com.

Focus on the Family member Tim Sisarich, an avuncular presence, stars and directs the film. The documentary lays out a number of problems plaguing the modern family unit and how our culture undermines it at every turn. We see the rising number of divorces and the impact of a society where marital separation is both easy and accepted. Meanwhile, the children end up suffering the most as a result.

Irreplaceable argues that men and women are, indeed, different, and that’s not a bad thing but a biological reality. One expert says she can tell if a person is a male or female by looking at the person’s brain scan, for instance.

We’re wired differently, we’re told.

Our consumer culture also chips away at the institution of marriage. If something doesn’t work you throw it away and get a new one, another family expert cautions about our current approach to marriage.

Other themes include the power of the state undermining the value of the family and how the “hookup culture” demeans women, cheapens sexuality and leads to a cultural imbalance.

Even those who don’t call themselves social conservatives will likely nod in agreement over the section detailing the sexual double standards in place in the bedroom. A sexually successful male is dubbed a player while his female counterpart is considered slutty–if lucky.

Other family-related issues include the need for fathers in a child’s life and the power of redemption. Sisarich’s own life story reflects both the struggles and promise of an intact family.

Irreplaceable marks another way films that don’t fit the Hollywood mold are getting into the marketplace.