difference between canadian and U.S movie ratings (1 Viewer)

[Ryan L B]

The main thing I don't get is how could a movie like Hardball get a canadian rating of a PG when there is a whole lot of language in it when it is PG-13 here and why Rebel Without a Vause got a canadian rating of 14 and it wasn't that bad in my opinion. Could someone explain this.

 

[Luc]

Ryan, I love reading all your questions. It always make my day. Love your confusing ending thread .

 

[Luc D]

They vary from province to province. The main difference is that our rating system makes sense.
In Quebec we have G (anyone can get in), 13 (13 and older only), 16 (...you get the jist at this point). Main difference I suppose is that nudity isn't such a target for harsh ratings. As for Hardball, well, if it's only language then I don't see the problem. Foul language isn't such a big deal here, local stations don't edit naughty words out of primetime broadcasts.

 

[Ryan L B]

you are all very lucky since you can't say god damn here on any tv station except for premniem cable.

 

[Terrell]

Wasn't there a story about a country in Europe giving Hannibal a "G" rating and parents being livid? I thought I remember reading that somwhere. Maybe it was Australia.

 

[Jason Whyte]

Here's BC's rating system, which was redone and mandated in January, 1997:
G - All ages admitted
PG - Parental Guidence Suggested - All ages admitted
14a - All ages admitted over 14, those under 14 must be with an adult 19 years or over.
18a - All ages admitted over 18, those under 18 must be with an adult 19 years or over.
R (Restricted)- No one under 18 admitted under any circumstances.
So there you have it. I think the only difference between this and the MPAA is that PG-13 is all ages admitted and 14a requires an adult. R is our NC17, but has only been used for extreme films; in fact, the only films I believe under this rating are:
-Requiem For A Dream
-Crash
-Bully
-Fat Girl
-The Center of the World
-Romance
-Base Moi (Rape Me)
-Pink Flamingos
The Shining was also rerated R I believe.
Also, you can get as low as a PG rating here for repeated use of "Fuck" and nudity, but there are variants:
-In using "Fuck", if it is used sexually in any way, it can get a 14a or 18a, but if used in any other form it can get a PG depending on the other material. The same goes for "Shit."
-With nudity, if it is non-sexual (ie. Cynthia Stevenson baring her breasts in "The Player" or Jude Law standing up out of a bathtub with a quick frontal shot in "The Talented Mr. Ripley) it can get as low as a PG rating. Hell, even "Nobody's Fool" which had Melanie Griffith flashing topless and a strip poker game with prolonged topless shots, still got a PG rating!
Anyways, hope that helped. BC is pretty good with their ratings system, and I support them fully.
Jason

 

[Markus Lidstrom]

I believe 'Gangster No 1' also recieved a Canadian R rating.

 

[Jason Whyte]

Sounds like you saw that on the DVD case (which was most likely rated R, haven't seen that disc yet). That's a Canadian Home Video rating card that is completely independent from the provincal classification boards.
In BC, that film was rated 18a for theaters.
Jason

 

[Ryan L B]

now how did the south park movie get a 14a with language, nudity, graphic violence, and adult content. Many are sayign that it should of gotten an NC-17 out here.

 

[Mike Graham]

The R rating in Canada seems to be used few and far between. Out of last year's big releases, most of which were rated R in the states, I can only remember half a dozen that were restricted here : "From Hell", "Training Day" and "Kiss of the Dragon" to name a few. Oddly enough, "Slackers" and "Hannibal" both earned 14A ratings.

 

[Bill Harris]

A recent example of the rating weirdness is Todd Solondz's Storytelling which has shown uncensored in Canada. The US prints have red boxes on a scene which i found to not even be that offensive...other than the language.

 

[Jason Whyte]

A recent example of the rating weirdness is Todd Solondz's Storytelling which has shown uncensored in Canada.

That was also rated 18a in BC (it's now playing in Vancouver, and, oooh, rumored to come to the Vic, Bill!)
Jason

 

[Markus Lidstrom]

Yeah, I just looked at my case.

I might have to check that out at the vic, but I'm fairly broke after getting addicted to the film festival that was in town.

 

[Geoffrey_A]

Here's a good one. Billy Elliot was rated R in America while it's rated PG in Canada. The biggest difference I see between the ratings systems is that violence is okay with the American rating system, while language is not. The opposite being true in Canada. Still, I can't for the life of me figure out how Billy Elliot got an R rating in America, it seems ludicrous to me.

 

[Jason Whyte]

I might have to check that out at the vic, but I'm fairly broke after getting addicted to the film festival that was in town.

Yeah, you too huh? Check out my coverage (in signature) and you'll see how much.
Geoffery, it's mostly subject matter that Canada looks at, but if you say "Fuck" twice in a film or use "Fuck" once in a sexual manner, it gets slapped with an R. "Waiting For Guffman" is a prime example. There's hardly any language in the film except for an auditioner reciting the "You fuck my wife?" bit from "Raging Bull." It was rated PG up here.
Jason