Rated R

Last night I saw a commercial for the new M. Night Shamylan movie and the biggest selling point of the commercial was “the director who brought you The Sixth Sense and Signs brings you his first R-rated movie” and the R was gigantic on the screen. Not only do I think that the whole rating system is bogus, but to use the rating as a selling point is absurd. Ratings are basically a way to tack a letter grade to a movie to indicate if it is suited for children, adolescents, or adults. When looked at that way, is there any wonder why R-rated movies make the most money? The answer is: because the majority of movie goers are adult. I’m not so mature that I can’t laugh at a guy running around in tighty whities or enjoy a comic book remake, and animation is fascinating, but a movie that not only entertains but challenges my intellect as well is a real winner. My issue with ratings is that they are tacked onto movies by a room of suits somewhere getting paid way too much money to assume that they know the values of individuals everywhere. Wouldn’t it be easier just to disclose what questionable content is shown in a movie? For instance, I would rate Saving Private Ryan a “GV, L” (graphic violence and language) and Titanic a “SC, N, V” (sexual content, nudity, and violence). I would rather see the GV so I can appreciate the cost of my freedom than to see the SC and N just to get my date in the mood. But that’s just my personal opinion; and that’s the idea, that everyone could decide for themselves and parents could decide for their children. And are we all so naive to think that corporate pressure and money aren’t enough to have that room of suits change the rating to what they see fit? But what really gets my goat about this whole commercial, is that they were marketing the rating, some letter generated by that room of suits. Either Mr. Shamylan was targeting the rating, or the big studio distributing his movie is in charge of the advertising, but either way it seems clear that they are simply trying to boost ticket sales by rating it R, so that more adults will go. I realize that the movie industry is in business to make money, but I like living with the illusion that writers and directors make movies because they are in love with the art of cinema. I like to think that they dream up great stories and get great actors and camera men and hair dressers to bring those stories to life. I like to think that they are just as inspired as any painter with his canvas, or writer with her blank sheets of paper. And I hope that they make the movie however they dreamt it and hand it to those suits in the boardroom to give it whatever rating they want because there is no way they would ever change their art, just as Michelangelo would never finger paint a tuxedo onto his statue of David because someone thought it inappropriate. When I hear that they are targeting a rating to boost ticket sales, all it does is scream “SELL OUT”. If all they want for their efforts of making this new movie is money, then I hope it flops.