Post: Are Movie Ratings Fair?
Are Movie Ratings Fair?
How does the MPAA decide if a movie should be rated G, PG, or R? The answer may not be as clear cut as you think -- at least according to independent filmmaker Kirby Dick (pictured here).
In Dick's new movie, This Film Is Not Yet Rated, which is actually rated NC-17 and contains some really racy sexual scenes, he examines the politics driving the system, and even discloses the identities of once-anonymous MPAA ratings board members.
Do you have something to say about the fairness of the current system -- or an idea for a ratings system that would work better? Read our interview with Kirby Dick, then post your own comments.
Common Sense Media: Why were you interested in investigating the MPAA?
Kirby Dick: Over the years, I’d watched how unfair the ratings system was, particularly to independent films, or films with mature themes or adult sexuality. I was also troubled by the anonymity of the ratings board members. Why is it secret unless they have something to hide?
CSM: Do you think that parents are wrong to depend on the MPAA's ratings?
KD: People assume that the MPAA ratings system is a more effective and professionally developed system than it is. If parents really knew how the ratings system worked, they would be horrified that they’re basing their decisions about what their children should see on a very inconsistent and often biased system.
CSM: What would be useful as a ratings system?
KD: In my mind the most important role that a film rater board can play is to inform people in a concise but comprehensive way what is in a film so that parents can make up their minds as to what their children should see. If ratings are being applied, there should be people who have expertise in child psychology or media studies as part of the process –- not 10 anonymous parents living in Los Angeles.
CSM: In the movie, you uncover the identities of the ratings board. What was their reason for wanting to be secretive in the first place?
KD: They make the argument that the raters have to be anonymous because otherwise they’d be subjected to influence from the industry. First of all, many boards and judges operate in public, and they do just fine for the most part.
In fact, it’s when there is anonymity and secrecy that you can’t see who’s influencing whom. The other thing is that the only people who have access to these raters are the people in the studios. They’re able to influence these people to get them to vote in a particular way on a rating.
CSM: How do the major studios use this influence?
KD: You see violent films getting these very easy ratings. Adolescents are the market now, and they tend to respond to violent films. So the MPAA’s going to make sure that violent films from the six major studios, get these less restrictive ratings. This is not a moral system at all. This is a system that is very bottom-line driven.
CSM: What would you like other parents to take away from your documentary?
KD: First I would hope they get information about how this ratings system operates because the MPAA has been so secretive about its process for so long. Secondly, I hope they feel the same outrage that I feel. This is a system that is not for the benefit of the parents or the public. It’s really for the benefit of the bottom line of these six major corporations.
This interview was conducted by Kathryn McGarr, a senior at Stanford who spent the summer interning at CSM.
There are 1 replies to this post
Date: September 17, 2006
It's too bad his movie is so, um, adult-oriented. It would be interesting if this was something that the whole family could see and discuss.