I saw the movie Slumdog Millionaire a few weeks back and have been singing it’s praises since. I will say it was the movie I most enjoyed of all the movies I saw in 2008. One thing has kind of bothered me and is continuing to bother me since seeing the film. I have no idea why the film is rated R.
The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) was an independent group started through a collaboration between the six major studio in the 1920′s. Fearing a federal crackdown on indecency, they came up with a code that all films needed to adhere to or get fined. Later (namely 1968), they introduced the rating system. An anonymous, seven person panel watches the movie and comes to an agreement on a rating and release a one sentence explanation as to why it is rated the way it is rated. For Slumdog Millionaire, they explain the rating with “some violence, disturbing images and language.” And then it is left for the masses to decrypt how that turns into a certain rating.
There are two “F” words. I can list a number of PG-13 movies with two and some with three “F” words (An American President, As Good As it Gets, etc). There are some violent and disturbing images, but Danny Boyle (the director) purposely cut away from the actual violent act. I have seen more violence on primetime television. I certainly saw more violence and more emotionally disturbing images in The Dark Knight, which was rated PG-13 by this same group less than a year earlier.
This is obviously a broken system that favors big American studios over independent and foreign studios. It’s sad and certainly frustrating on it’s own, but knowing people that choose what films to see and what to avoid based solely on the American MPAA rating adds to the frustration. In Canada, this film was rated 14A (as in “okay for 14 year olds”).
Look, if someone looks at films as total fluff, to be seen solely for entertainment, then basing your viewing choices on the MPAA system will work just fine. But if someone, like myself, believes a film can be more than that, it can change your perspective, deepen your understanding, and strengthen you as a person, it is simply foolish to put all your trust in this corrupt system.
