Movie Ratings
November 20, 2007
Welcome to our blog. Over the next few weeks we’re going to be writing about movie ratings and how these rated categories affect our lives. In the interest of full disclosure, we are a group in a BYU media literacy class and this blog is our class project. We were assigned to create some sort of media presentation that adressed a media issue we felt strongly about. We chose movie ratings because, as BYU students and Mormons, movie ratings play a large part in our lives and the general culture of our church.
For example, church culture often dictates that rated “R” movies are bad, off-limits. On the other hand, many people we know seem to think that as long as a movie is not an “R” it’s okay to watch. There are many more attitudes as well, ranging from a complete shunning of the rating system to rationalizations based on differing rating scales in different countries. And, with the advent of movies edited for content, the issue is clouded even further.
What we’re interested in is how well ratings actually warn against offensive content, and, here’s where things might get controversial, how do we determine exactly which content is offensive? Are there universal standards, or should we make our own choices? Can a movie be uplifting and appropriate even if it’s rated “R”? Can a ”PG” movie be spiritually damaging?
These are the questions we’re going to explore. The format we’ll use is simple. Group members will post their feelings about movies we’ve seen. Everything we discuss will be filtered through the content, how it affected us and of course, the rating. Please feel free to make comments (helpful, insightful ones, not standard Daily Universe-style holier-than-thou stuff please).
December 6, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Thank you for your blog. Here are my feelings about the movie rating system.
As a mother of young teenagers, I do not place much trust in the movie rating system. (Most PG-13 movies of today would have been rated R when I was growing up.) I use the ratings as a first-line of defense, so to speak. If the movie is rated R, I don’t care how redeeming it may be, we don’t see it. If a movie is PG-13, I must see the movie before I let my children see it. In general, we do not watch PG-13 movies. Sometimes we will rent one from a local outlet that removes objectionable content first, but not very often. Just because a movie is rated less than R does NOT mean it is good to watch.
If a movie is PG, I will either view the movie first or ask trusted friends how they felt about it. Then my children may be allowed to watch it, based on standards that we have set for ourselves. We have set our own family standards. We do not feel it would be wise to follow any industry standards.
Fortunately, we are not big fans of the movies. My children and I prefer to read. Often, movies are based on books and this is a good compromise. I think it all comes down to deciding for yourself what movies are good for you and your family and which aren’t. No one should be so naive as to leave that decision up to Hollywood.
I will close by giving you my own personal opinion on two of the questions you asked above.
Can a movie be uplifting and appropriate even if it’s rated “R”? No, because regardless of content, I would feel I’ve broken a higher law of obedience.
Can a “PG” movie be spiritually damaging? Absolutely! Even without swearing, nudity, and violence, there are some movies that may treat important issues with casualness. I’m thinking specifically of one love story that everyone raved about a few years ago. The main character was living with a woman and his father was also living with a woman. This was not the emphasis of the movie, but it still sent the message that these sort of casual, immoral relationships are okay. That is not a message I want my children to learn, even subconsciously.