NC 17 Rating
Rating:Weinstein Company will appeal the decision, MPAA slapped Blue Valentine with an NC-17 rating. NC-17 rating mostly kiss of death, as no one under 17 can watch a movie, obviously, and more importantly, some theater chains will not even screen movies with a rating. TWC hopes that they can provide convincing arguments why it should be changed to a rating of R, when they meet with representatives of the MPAA in November.
“We are taking all possible steps to challenge the decision of MPAA’s”, said Harvey Weinstein in a statement on the rating. “We respect the work of the MPAA, and hopefully, after a chance to sit down with them, they will see that our appeal was reasonable, and the film that is honest and personal portrait of the relationship will be significantly affected such a rating.”
Scenes that earned the film an NC-17 rating involved a married couple (played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams), having drunken sex in a hotel room. MPAA has been widely criticized in the past for its process of rating films. It’s unbelievable to me that movies with graphic scenes of mutilation, the mountains of violence, etc. can earn R ratings, there is nothing sexual or nudity earns an NC-17. There’s something seriously wrong with the system used to judge what is appropriate for the audience.
Harvey Weinstein Responds to the NC-17 Rating for Blue Valentine
Here is Mr. Weinstein’s official response:
“ We want to express our deepest gratitude to our colleagues in the industry and in the media for their recent outpouring of support for Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine after the film surprisingly received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. We are taking every possible step to contest the MPAA’s decision. We respect the work of the MPAA and we hope, after having a chance to sit down with them, they will see that our appeal is reasonable, and the film, which is an honest and personal portrait of a relationship, would be significantly harmed by such a rating.”
Having seen many films that were rated R of such extreme violence, it seems beyond strange that the MPAA would claim there was anything so difficult to see for anyone over the age of 17 that it would get that kind of rating. Here’s to hoping Blue Valentine gets a Best Picture nod out of the deal.
But that’s America for you: violence is okay but sex? Let’s all live double lives and pretend it isn’t the major motivation for almost everything we do 24/7 – consciously or unconsciously.
In related news, PBS is currently running a Frontline series called God in America. This is ground zero for our puritanical hysterical.
