Opinions on the MPAA rating system

[AniNate]

Too often comedies rely on swearing as a crutch in the absence of genuine humor. I'm reminded of the opening of Horrible Bosses where they're labeling their bosses with all these elaborately crude insults assuming that they're funny just because they're vulgar.

 

Personally I'd rate Ratatouille a PG too. There's on-screen drunkenness, dead animals shown in closeup, and Remy has to endure a lot of dangerous situations through the film.

Edited July 26, 2013 by tribefan695

[mahnamahna]

I love swearing in movies, makes it feel real. And I reckon you have too many PG-# levels. The biggest problem with PG-13 is that it goes from 13 and then jumps right up to 17. I'd just change PG-13 to PG-15.

That's just a sad reflection on the world today where things don't seem really unless there's 20-200 F-bombs sprinkled throughout the majority of films. It takes more creativity to make someone laugh with cuss words, and same goes for making a villain seem menacing.

 

Heath Ledger in TDK didn't need to utter a single cuss word to freak me and millions of people out - in fact I'm pretty sure he doesn't actually use a swear word at all. Personally, I don't like R rated comedies because I think most of all them (Identity Thief is a prime suspect) are lazy and poorly made. National Lampoon's Vacation, Blazing Saddles and Planes, Trains & Automobiles are the 3 gold standards for what a great R rated laugh-fest is... and the modern ones are terrible IMO 

[mahnamahna]

Too often comedies rely on swearing as a crutch in the absence of genuine humor. I'm reminded of the opening of Horrible Bosses where they're labeling their bosses with all these elaborately crude insults assuming that they're funny just because they're vulgar.

 

Personally I'd rate Ratatouille a PG too. There's on-screen drunkenness, dead animals shown in closeup, and Remy has to endure a lot of dangerous situations through the film.

I suppose... it's definitely one of the less kid-appealing Pixar movies so a PG wouldn't hurt it. 

[luna]

Context is important. Fuck yeah is harmless, a simple word modifier showing increased approval. Motherfucker however is wrapped up in both sexual meaning and both personal and familial insults and taboos.One deserves rating scrutiny, the other does not.

 

but that's the point, that's exactly what i was saying. most swearing is contextless and meaningless, and as such we shouldn't support institutional regulation against it.

 

and i wouldn't agree that motherfucker has any inherent context but i'd much rather debate context than simply ban all naughty words.

 

but if i were to argue context, then that of 'i hate you' is just as bad as 'fuck you you piece of shit' but the former doesn't have naughty words in it so it gets a pass. i see no reason the latter gets regulated why the former doesn't, except our silly reaction to the four letter words.

[luna]

i don't know how it's a sad reflection of the world today that reality has swearing. i personally think poverty and persecution are more worthy of our disapproval, and stupid little words should take up none of our time. oh, and is it lazy to make swearing the butt of jokes? sure, but then so is (in most cases) toilet humour and slapstick. i don't see a problem here beyond that it's a shame to sit through shitty movies.

[AniNate]

 

and i wouldn't agree that motherfucker has any inherent context but i'd much rather debate context than simply ban all naughty words.

 

but if i were to argue context, then that of 'i hate you' is just as bad as 'fuck you you piece of shit' but the former doesn't have naughty words in it so it gets a pass. i see no reason the latter gets regulated why the former doesn't, except our silly reaction to the four letter words.

 

Negativity is irrelevant. It's the vulgarity of the phrase that matters. Likewise, "I'm going to have hot sex with you tonight" won't be viewed as harshly as "I wanna fuck you like an animal".  

 

The MPAA does actually go easier on contextless cursing. If you use "fuck" with any sort of obvious sexual implication then your movie automatically gets an R, whereas you can get away with simply using it for emphasis about 3-4 times in a PG-13 movie.  

 

But if you strip away all regulation of films that use the word then you diminish the intended effect of the word. We should have certain words and phrases that we reserve for the strongest emotions. 

Edited July 27, 2013 by tribefan695

[AniNate]

i don't know how it's a sad reflection of the world today that reality has swearing. i personally think poverty and persecution are more worthy of our disapproval, and stupid little words should take up none of our time. oh, and is it lazy to make swearing the butt of jokes? sure, but then so is (in most cases) toilet humour and slapstick. i don't see a problem here beyond that it's a shame to sit through shitty movies.

 

All three of those kinds of humor are best when they're used sparingly. A well-placed f-bomb can be extremely funny, but if you abuse the word (same as if you abuse slapstick or toilet humor) it loses its comic heft. 

Edited July 27, 2013 by tribefan695

[mahnamahna]

i don't know how it's a sad reflection of the world today that reality has swearing. i personally think poverty and persecution are more worthy of our disapproval, and stupid little words should take up none of our time. oh, and is it lazy to make swearing the butt of jokes? sure, but then so is (in most cases) toilet humour and slapstick. i don't see a problem here beyond that it's a shame to sit through shitty movies.

Very true... I just think it takes more talent to get a point across without swearing. Toilet humor and slapstick are way over-used in kids movies today - 3 Stooges, Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and for a recent one WALL-E got the perfect amount of slapstick while Despicable Me has just enough toilet humor. But poverty won't go away because man's flawed so no reason to get worked up about it IMO

[DAR]

I love swearing in movies, makes it feel real. And I reckon you have too many PG-# levels. The biggest problem with PG-13 is that it goes from 13 and then jumps right up to 17. I'd just change PG-13 to PG-15.

Fuckin a right

[SchumacherFTW]

Just adopt the British (G, PG, 12, 15, 18) or Dutch (G, 6, 9, 12, 16) systems and be done with it. And make them restrictive so that pushy parents can't complain about their 12 year olds watching Saw at a theatre.

 

WWZ was restricted to 15 and up here in the UK and still did a good amount of cash here, so there is precedent to only letting certain age groups in. Ted did $45m last year with a 15, and we even had a local comedy hit $60m a couple of years back.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Schumacher FTW