Is the movie rating system getting more lenient?

Ever find yourself thinking, "They didn't swear like that in movies when I was a kid!"

At Grading The Movies, Music & Games, we often receive comments from people who feel there is much more language, violence, and sex in movies than there used to be and that the movie rating system is getting harder to trust.

But is it true?

We certainly can't attest to doing a scientific survey on the movie rating system, but with close to ten years of observing movies from a parent's perspective, we have also noticed trends and movements in the categories assigned by the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), a division of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

But the best yardstick may be a refresher course on the points CARA looks for when determining the rating of a movie, compared to some of the movies that have found their way into the G, PG, and PG-13 classifications (the categories we focus on at Grading the Movies, Music & Games). For an exact transcript of their movie rating system guidelines, check out www.filmratings.com

G - General Audiences: All Ages Admitted

The big G movie rating tells the public there is "nothing parents will consider offensive for even their youngest children to see or hear." However this classification may include "snippets of dialogue [that] may go beyond polite conversation but do not go beyond common everyday expressions." CARA assures that nudity, sex and drugs will be absent from the movie, and notes that violence will be "minimal."

Often associated with children's animation, the G movie rating is also applied to live action, although--at least in recent years--rarely to movies with adult themes. One such exception is The Straight Story starring the late Richard Farnsworth. Other recent live-action G titles include Disney's Endurance, Warner's Family Tree and--if you stretch the definition of "live" action--Muppets in Space and both Babe and Babe: Pig In The City.

If there was a nomination for "movie most likely to stretch the G rating", Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame with Esmeralda's suggestive dancing-fire scene, would have been in the running.

So, the G rating has slipped... or have we just forgotten?

Soon after the ratings board was established in 1968, it was not uncommon to see "adult" films classified as G. Can't imagine a G-rated action/adventure? Try Rock Hudson's Cold War yarn, Ice Station Zebra, John Wayne's high-risk fire fighting adventure The Hellfighters, or Lee Marvin's war epic Hell In The Pacific, all from 1968. Horror movies in G? How about Christopher Lee's Dracula Has Risen From the Grave or The Devil's Bride--also that same year.

Although we haven't reviewed any of these G titles, one thing is obvious: subjects like those are not typically explored in this classification today. I even suspect that the word "hell" in the title would be enough reason not to apply a G-rating. Yet at the same time, the "potty humor" which plagues today's "children's" movies was non-existent back then.

PG - Parental Guidance Suggested: May Not Be Suitable for Children

CARA feels these movies contain material that parents "might not like to expose to their young children" and suggests the content "will clearly need to be examined or inquired about before children are allowed to attend the film." (It is the goal of our website to help parents find that information.) Although "explicit sex scenes" are not allowed, brief nudity is, along with moderate levels of horror and violence.

Statistically this category has been the least used over the past ten years. This is unfortunate because the PG rating is a sensible way to explore many "adult" subjects, without offending the vast majority of the film going community. We cite terrific films like The Hunt For Red October (1990), Remember the Titans (2000), Stand and Deliver (1987), Disney's The Kid (2000) and Galaxy Quest (1999) as examples.

But Hollywood sees PG ratings as the mark of boredom--not quite an "entire family" movie, yet not edgy enough for teens and adults. It seems to attract those lost projects that didn't have a direction in the first place (maybe accounting for why Dudley Do-Right is sitting on his horse backwards...).

And, like the G classification, the types of movies given a PG rating now are very different from those early recipients. The recent re-release of Jaws is one example of a PG movie that would likely have rated PG-13 if that classification had existed when it was produced. Other notables that would never have made the grade today include Summer Of '42 (1972), The Owl And The Pussy Cat (1972), Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1974 release), and American Graffiti (1973).

PG-13 - Parents Strongly Cautioned: Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13

With more titles in the late sixties and seventies landing somewhere between high PG and low R, the classification board created the PG-13 rating in 1984. Studios aimed squarely at this mark hoping to capture the lucrative teen audience. Over the years we've been reviewing movies, the PG-13 rating has definitely shifted toward the liberal end of the spectrum, as opposed to the PG and G classifications, which have become more conservative.

Officially CARA's guidelines declare PG-13 films will be devoid of rough or persistent violence, and that if nudity is "sexually oriented" the movie will move into the R category. They also state that a film's "single use of one of the sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, shall require the Rating Board to issue that film at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive must lead the Rating Board to issue a film an R rating, as must even one of these words used in a sexual context."

Of all the guidelines, the one pertaining to language is the most often over ruled by the "special vote" the board has if they feel a lesser rating would "more responsibly reflect the opinion of American parents."

The classic sexual expletive used to show up once in most PG-13 movies. Yet in the last few years we have witnessed an increase in the number of PG-13 films that utter this word several times, including using it to describe the sexual act it represents (like in Brokedown Palace or The Net).

We also observe many PG-13 movies created by people who have gone to great lengths to fit in everything the rating will allow. The Nutty Professor 2 with pounds of sexual innuendo and near nudity, Wild Wild West which mixes sexuality and violence, or Adam Sandler's Big Daddy which tries to justify a perverted dysfunctional adult as a reasonable choice for an adoptive father, are recent examples.

It's also easy to debate the issue of rough or persistent violence not being found in a PG-13 movie. Take a look at the non-stop violent plots of such films as: Mortal Kombat (which appeals to teens who play the videogame on which it's based), the wrestle-fest Ready to Rumble, Steel (starring kid-magnet Shaquille O'Neal), the latest Bond epic The World Is Not Enough or the (fortunately) under-promoted 1995 film Street Fighter.

Target: PG-13

It should come as no surprise that the PG-13 rating is so often bombarded with "nearly R" material. While no rating--even the most restrictive NC-17--can prevent an adult from seeing a movie, it's the elusive teen market with their incredibly large disposable income that industry execs desperately want at the box office. Consequently, CARA is often urged to classify movies into categories that won't restrict the access of teen audiences--and that usually means PG-13.

In our opinion, it's this intense lobbying from studios, along with movies that are carefully engineered to fit into the highest extremes of the PG-13 classification, that are responsible for the changes we are seeing in the PG-13 category. While we at Grading the Movies, Music, & Games publicly support the work of the parents that make up CARA's board, we also recognize that any system can be circumvented by those who are determined to do so and are motivated by the enormous profit potential of a hit movie. And remember, the incredibly powerful MPAA (CARA's parent organization) has a primary objective of protecting the profits of the motion picture industry.

The next time you see PG-13 movies like Supernova or the updated version of Romeo & Juliet, with their carefully choreographed sex scene that barely covers the essential anatomical parts, or ones with language that pushes the limits CARA claims they will accept; chances are you are looking at a project crafted to come as close to the R-rating as possible. Interestingly enough, with each passing year, these pictures become more "R", but still remain PG-13.

With the industry coming under criticism from the U.S. Senate for marketing R-rated movies to children, parents must not forget the role they can play in the film ratings process. When you see a movie you feel has been incorrectly classified, or if you are concerned about shifts in the PG-13 category, we encourage you to let the Classification and Rating Administration know how you feel by writing to:

The Classification and Rating Administration
15503 Ventura Boulevard
Encino, CA 91436

Rod Gustafson

©2001 One Voice Communications. All Rights Reserved

We would also be happy to hear your comments. Drop us a line at parents@gradingthemovies.com