What's new

MPAA - Time to Retire the G Rating (1 Viewer)

Colin Jacobson

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2000
Messages
13,328
Bob Cashill said:
I'm trying to think of PG-rated films of the pre-PG-13 80s with major levels of sex and nudity in them. Violence tends to push the PG-13 envelope harder.
"Logan's Run"!
 

RabbitMan3000

Auditioning
Joined
Mar 8, 2014
Messages
13
Real Name
Ray
True, but the visuals weren't. All of the "naughtiness" in Grease was from word play and innuendo. Typically the MPAA is more concerned with blatant visual sexuality.
 

Todd Erwin

Reviewer
HW Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2008
Messages
10,382
Location
Hawthorne, NV
Real Name
Todd Erwin
What are "thematic elements," and why do some films with "thematic elements" get a PG, while others get PG-13 or R?

I"m being rhetorical, of course....
 

Aaron Silverman

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 22, 1999
Messages
11,411
Location
Florida
Real Name
Aaron Silverman
We watched the recent comedy The Internship last night. It was PG-13 in its theatrical run, but the "Unrated" edition on the DVD was far raunchier than any PG-13 film I've seen. There were at least a dozen F-bombs, and it featured an extended sequence (it had to be over 10 minutes long) in a topless bar that had quite a few gals walking around with exposed breastages.

I'm kind of curious to see how far the theatrical cut (about 6 minutes shorter) went. Not that I'm complainin'. :)
 

Colin Jacobson

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2000
Messages
13,328
Aaron Silverman said:
We watched the recent comedy The Internship last night. It was PG-13 in its theatrical run, but the "Unrated" edition on the DVD was far raunchier than any PG-13 film I've seen. There were at least a dozen F-bombs, and it featured an extended sequence (it had to be over 10 minutes long) in a topless bar that had quite a few gals walking around with exposed breastages.

I'm kind of curious to see how far the theatrical cut (about 6 minutes shorter) went. Not that I'm complainin'. :)
Definitely no nudity in the PG-13 version. Not sure about the profanity - looked at the "Parents Guide" on IMDB and it only lists "F words" in the unrated context. I'm guessing there still might be one F word in the PG-13 but I don't remember...
 

mattCR

Reviewer
HW Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
10,897
Location
Lee Summit, Missouri
Real Name
Matt
Russell G said:
Everyone would be better off if they just got rid of the ratings. You can tell what the suitability of a movie will be based on the marketing campaign from the studios anyway. 95% of the time, with few exceptions at any rate.

The MPAA is a censorship board first and foremost. Content get's killed prior to shooting in hopes of getting a PG-13 or whatever rating they need/hope to get. People going into a Transformers movie know what they are getting, it's not like without the board there all of a sudden there's going to be a hard core sex scene in it. The studio putting up the three hundred million will make sure that the film caters to the widest group/lowest denominator in the hope that it will make a billion.

And no one needs to see an R rating or NC-17 or "Unrated" to know a Lars Von Triers film will probably have a penis in it and be inappropriate for their 8 year old.

It's a stupid system that isn't benefiting anyone other than marketers.
My wife & I saw 'Wolf of Wall Street' at an afternoon show while the kids were at school. Sure enough, a woman brought her 4/5 year old with her to the theater. They walked out ahead of us and I thought: this is why ratings are pointless.

I'd favor them ditching "G" as well and just giving the TV rating more like "Y" and "Y7" as 'appropriate for those age categories'. But I don't even think Frozen or that were "G", and I'd take anyone of any age to see that
 

Bob Cashill

Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2001
Messages
3,799
Real Name
Robert Cashill
None of the films cited had major levels of sex and nudity in them. Maybe Logan's Run might get a PG-13 today. The PG from the 70s that surprises me is The Getaway.
 

McCrutchy

Second Unit
Joined
Jun 18, 2012
Messages
468
Location
East Coast, USA
Real Name
Sean
Bob Cashill said:
None of the films cited had major levels of sex and nudity in them. Maybe Logan's Run might get a PG-13 today. The PG from the 70s that surprises me is The Getaway.
Or The Outlaw Josey Wales, which has nudity in the context of attempted gang rape, and then another scene of rape without nudity later in the film. Not like there isn't good old-fashioned violence in the film, either.
 

AndyMcKinney

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2004
Messages
3,188
Location
Kentucky, USA
I always figured the reason that studios put PG (or PG-13) ratings on kid-oriented movies these days were twofold:

1. slightly older kids would think that G means "for babies" and is uncool
2. parents might be more inclined to take their kids to a PG or PG-13 movie for selfish reasons on their part ("if it's PG or PG-13, maybe it's like Shrek and has some stuff in it for grown-ups, which is just another way of saying "G-rated movies are for babies")
 

Aaron Silverman

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 22, 1999
Messages
11,411
Location
Florida
Real Name
Aaron Silverman
mattCR said:
My wife & I saw 'Wolf of Wall Street' at an afternoon show while the kids were at school. Sure enough, a woman brought her 4/5 year old with her to the theater. They walked out ahead of us and I thought: this is why ratings are pointless.
That doesn't mean ratings are pointless; it means that you attended a movie with a sorry excuse for a parent.
 

Josh Steinberg

Premium
Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2003
Messages
26,274
Real Name
Josh Steinberg
Aaron Silverman said:
That doesn't mean ratings are pointless; it means that you attended a movie with a sorry excuse for a parent.
Can't it be a little bit of both? Full disclosure: I'm a frustrated moviegoer who's had mattCR's experience of going to an R-rated movie with a parent dragging in little kids more times than I can count (as I'm sure many others here have to). Yes, part of it is terrible parenting - I think it's this weird entitlement syndrome of "my right to do what I want to do at the exact second I want to do it is more important than anyone else's wellbeing" and so no consideration is shown either to the children or the other people in the theater. But I also think part of the problem is that theaters simply do not care. Once you fork over the $15 (that's what it is in NYC for a regular 2D presentation), they could care less about what happens inside the theater. Even the theaters that have posted rules like AMC does, (like no children under 6 in R-rated movies after 6pm), they frequently ignore their own policies. Just once, I'd like a ticket taker to be empowered to say, "I'm sorry, but out of respect for other ticket-buying patrons as well as the well-being of your children, I cannot sell you and your three-year-old tickets to the 10pm showing of that movie". Just once I'd like to see a theater give up a ten dollar sale so that the rest of us who paid ten dollars to watch a movie don't have to listen to screaming babies. I will file this pipe dream next to the one where the usher kicks out the person talking on the cell phone next to me.
 

mattCR

Reviewer
HW Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
10,897
Location
Lee Summit, Missouri
Real Name
Matt
Josh Steinberg said:
Can't it be a little bit of both? Full disclosure: I'm a frustrated moviegoer who's had mattCR's experience of going to an R-rated movie with a parent dragging in little kids more times than I can count (as I'm sure many others here have to). Yes, part of it is terrible parenting - I think it's this weird entitlement syndrome of "my right to do what I want to do at the exact second I want to do it is more important than anyone else's wellbeing" and so no consideration is shown either to the children or the other people in the theater. But I also think part of the problem is that theaters simply do not care. Once you fork over the $15 (that's what it is in NYC for a regular 2D presentation), they could care less about what happens inside the theater. Even the theaters that have posted rules like AMC does, (like no children under 6 in R-rated movies after 6pm), they frequently ignore their own policies. Just once, I'd like a ticket taker to be empowered to say, "I'm sorry, but out of respect for other ticket-buying patrons as well as the well-being of your children, I cannot sell you and your three-year-old tickets to the 10pm showing of that movie". Just once I'd like to see a theater give up a ten dollar sale so that the rest of us who paid ten dollars to watch a movie don't have to listen to screaming babies. I will file this pipe dream next to the one where the usher kicks out the person talking on the cell phone next to me.
I've got to say the above nails it. It's why I love Alamo Drafthouse. Firm rules that they actually follow.
 

Wayne_j

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2006
Messages
4,898
Real Name
Wayne
No Alamo Drafthouse here in Albany, NY. But there is a good independent theater with extremely few kids.
 

ScottHM

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 18, 2003
Messages
916
Location
USA
Real Name
Scott
Russell G said:
And no one needs to see an R rating or NC-17 or "Unrated" to know a Lars Von Triers film will probably have a penis in it and be inappropriate for their 8 year old.
Why would you say something like this? I'd never even heard of Lars Von Triers before your post.

I like the ratings system to some extent--it gives me an indication of what to ignore.

---------------
 

schan1269

HTF Expert
HW Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
17,104
Location
Chicago-ish/NW Indiana
Real Name
Sam
ScottHM said:
Why would you say something like this? I'd never even heard of Lars Von Triers before your post.I like the ratings system to some extent--it gives me an indication of what to ignore.---------------
MPAA is a joke. I prefer the directors that give a shit less about "a rating" and make the movie they want.BreillatMoodyssonRobbe-grillet BrisseauAnd numerous other directors.Sad society that blood and guts is PG13 but a quick boob shot is R.Even sadder that a French 15 movie is unedited, and has to be edited for content to be R rated in the US.
 

ScottHM

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 18, 2003
Messages
916
Location
USA
Real Name
Scott
schan1269 said:
I prefer the directors that give a shit less about "a rating" and make the movie they want.
While I prefer to see movies I want, and don't care about what some director wants.

---------------
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest Articles

Forum statistics

Threads
356,815
Messages
5,123,851
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top