Overall, it was a well-made film about how a biased, independent, secretive board gets to rate movies and therefore control and sometimes censor pop culture. I watched the film with a critical eye: It made some really good points, but at times it felt blown out of proportion. I was in a documentary frenzy and had just finished watching Food Inc., a must-see about how the American food industry and our developing societal norms are totally screwing over the citizenry's health. So in comparison to that weighty subject matter, movie ratings felt like not as big a deal.
But if we're talking about the larger picture of societal norms, and the question is about who's making those decisions, then the egregiously under-reported actions of the MPAA become incredibly relevant in understanding American culture and the direction we're headed. I came away agreeing with Kirby Dick, the film's creator and director, and feeling indignant about how exceedingly graphic violence (hello, Quentin Tarantino) can make it through with an R rating while a hint of sexual intimacy can merit an NC-17 rating, which basically spells death at the box office.
An NC-17 rating means that no one under 17 can see it, so it's generally understood to mean that it's halfway to porn -- even if it's really not that bad. (The documentary lists a number of great examples, including the Oscar-winning Boys Don't Cry.) That's all fine and good -- whatever, children come first and we should protect them and blah blah blah -- except that theater chains like Landmark and Century don't show NC-17 movies. Period. And if you choose not to accept the rating, your marketing options are severely limited. So basically no one ever gets to see them, and NC-17 movies die a sad, silent, poor death.
And normally, the rating cannot be appealed and reversed without taking out pieces of the movie, which oftentimes amounts to sanitizing not only the scenes, but the plot itself. And the MPAA hides behind the stipulation that they don't give specific notes on what to cut -- because that would make them a "censorship organization." Except, you know, they do, and they are.
Don't cry, masculine Hilary Swank!Anyway, I sort of forgot about the whole thing until last month, when the MPAA made headlines by giving two movies with similarly sexual moments two different ratings: Black Swan, featuring a lesbian oral sex scene between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, received an R rating, while a similar scene in Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams got the dreaded NC-17 sticker. Both movies are considered Oscar contenders, so studio head Harvey Weinstein went to bat and appealed to the MPAA. In a rare move, today the MPAA actually reversed the decision, and Blue Valentine opened in theaters across the country to huge buzz and critical acclaim.
I'm not sure what sort of victory this is, but I do know that the press around the issue is the most I've seen, especially since I apparently missed the original release of the documentary back in 2006. So while an unjust movie ratings system may not be something to march or hunger strike about, it's something to be aware of and healthfully question. The role the MPAA plays in the movie industry is, in a word, unholy.
In case you're unfamiliar with the two movies -- not sure how you could be, unless you live under a rock and ignore ballerina horror flicks and the inimitable Ryan Gosling (and this from a girl that's never seen The Notebook) -- check out the trailers below.
Black Swan (succinct review by friend and movie buff Joe here):
And Blue Valentine:
Don't forget Kissing Jessica Stein, rated R, which features an OBSCENE sex scene in which two fully clothed women crawl into bed, and turn out the light. Cut to next scene.
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