PG Rating Isnt What It Used To Be


If there are any parents reading this who are thinking of taking their under-10 year olds to see the PG rated Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, please read the following from a ScreenIt.com review:

Rated PG, the film contains a handful of mild expletives; some non-explicit, but sexually related dialogue; one teen who sexually pursues her soccer coach nonstop until he finally can't resist anymore and they apparently have sex (off-camera, after some making out, and she feels empty afterwards)...

I have not read the books this movie is based on, nor am I likely to see the film (I'm not the target audience), but I did read in an interview with the author of the book series (Ann Brashares) that she made an effort to allude to any sexual issues in the books in the most oblique way possible.

It doesn't sound like it will be all that subtle in the movie version, which would be fine if it was rated PG-13 (The target audience for these books is 13-16 year old girls).

Gone are the days when you could just assume that a PG-rated movie is OK without doing any further research. I really believe that at some point parents will have to screen even G-rated movies before taking their kids to see them.

And whose fault is this? No, I don't just lay the blame at the foot of the studios, but it rests with the film ratings board. From FilmRatings.com:

Who gives movies their ratings?

Parents give the movies their ratings-men and women just like you. They are part of a specially designed committee called the film rating board of the Classification and Rating Administration. As a group they view each film and, after a group discussion, vote on its rating, making an educated estimate as to which rating most American parents would consider the most appropriate.

Ok, fine. Sounds good so far... although I still don't understand how the envelope continues to be pushed first on PG-13 films, and now apparently on PG films as well.

After further investigation:

The ratings are decided by a full-time Rating Board located in Los Angeles. There are 8-13 members of the Board who serve for periods of varying length.

Oh! Now it all makes sense! With apologies to parents in the state of California who are trying to raise their kids right, could the MPAA find a location from which to select a group of parents that could be less in touch with the rest of the country?

I suppose they could have assembled a group from the San Francisco Bay area...

Here's a suggestion: How about a group assembled from parents across the country? Figure out a way to do it... just send out screeners and then do a conference call. IMO that would get you a more representative cross section of parents countrywide.

Something needs to be changed, because the ratings system is obviously not working any more.

For more opinionated movie and TV industry rants visit ScreenRant.com.







Related News



Struggles of single parenting - Waseca County News

Waseca County News

Struggles of single parenting
Waseca County News, MN -6 hours ago
Bjerklie’s parents, who live in Bjerklie’s hometown of Fergus Falls, Minn., have a tight-knit relationship with Hannah, and Bjerklie also has brothers who ...

What it takes to be a good parent in today’s culture - The Prairie Star

What it takes to be a good parent in today’s culture
The Prairie Star, MT -8 hours ago
Quality of parenting is declining. It is not just the environment but the quality of parenting that is causing the difficulty. The decline in society can be ...


Parish needs more foster parents - Natchez Democrat

Parish needs more foster parents
Natchez Democrat, MS -3 hours ago
In that same region, there are approximately 200 foster parents. In Concordia Parish, there are only 10 foster parents, but there are 30 foster children in ...

Parents need to grow up - NEWS.com.au

Parents need to grow up
NEWS.com.au, Australia -Aug 28, 2008
By Susie O'Brien PARENTS need to grow up if they want to raise their kids successfully, a new book says. Well-known Melbourne psychologist John Cheetham ...

The Observer - Sarnia Observer

The Observer
Sarnia Observer,  Canada -6 hours ago
As part of the Cross Canada Crusade to Support Equal Parenting after Divorce, F4J Ontario Director Denis Van Decker said the goal is to push for changes to ...
Posted By SHAWN GIILCK, ENTERPRISE-BULLETINCollingwood Enterprise Bulletin
all 2 news articles

For mothers in prison, children can be key to rehabilitation, with ... - Boston Globe

Boston Globe

For mothers in prison, children can be key to rehabilitation, with ...
Boston Globe, United States -Aug 27, 2008
Although the report, "Parenting from Prison: Family Relationships of Incarcerated Women in Massachusetts," found that progress has been made in recent years ...

Farah Hospital hosts Jordan’s Pioneering Parenting Program - Al-Bawaba

Farah Hospital hosts Jordan’s Pioneering Parenting Program
Al-Bawaba, Jordan -Aug 27, 2008
Farah Hospital, Jordan’s leading hospital specializing in fertility, recently hosted and for the second consecutive time Jordan’s leading parenting program ...

Denver rules: A guide to parenting, the Democratic Convention way - Globe and Mail

Denver rules: A guide to parenting, the Democratic Convention way
Globe and Mail, Canada -22 minutes ago
"Kids," I said, in the gentle, wise, mentoring way that a parent should speak to a child. "I've been listening to the Democrats give speeches. ...

Successful co-parenting after a divorce - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Successful co-parenting after a divorce
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,  United States -Aug 28, 2008
They decided they wanted to share custody and parenting. "We didn't want him to feel abandoned by either parent, and we knew how hard it was going to be ...

Faith and Spiritual Life: Outreach - HeraldNet

Faith and Spiritual Life: Outreach
HeraldNet, WA -58 minutes ago
Seminars focus on parenting, marriage and life issues for new and longtime believers. Topics include "I Love You More: How Everyday Problems Can Strengthen ...
Faith and Spiritual Life: Programs and EventsHeraldNet
all 2 news articles