MPAA ratings spat over the new movie "It's Complicated"

[alp227]

It's Complicated is the new romantic comedy starting former Saturday Night Live cast members Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin alongside Meryl Streep. It opens on Christmas Day. The New York Times has an article out detailing a minor dispute over the film's R rating. Key points:
- It's rated R because of a scene where the characters played by Martin and Streep smoke ganja. There's no violence, and the sex scenes hardly warrant an R.
- Martin and Universal Studios failed in appealing the R rating. The National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) criticized the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA) for doing this, but the Parents Television Council (PTC) praised the MPAA. The article quotes representatives from each side: Allen St. Pierre, NORML executive director, said: "This is an absurd ruling rooted in old cultural thinking." Dan Isett, director of public policy for PTC, said: "The last I checked, smoking pot was still illegal, illicit behavior...Too often material gets rated lower than it should be."
- In 1980, the comedy film 9 to 5 was rated PG even though it showed three characters (played by Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin) smoking marijuana.
- "Soft R" and "Hard R" are new film industry buzzwords now.

[shadowknows69]

1. But you can dismember people on cable tv.

And I've seen full on splatter fests that are only PG-13, but have that evil weed or Gods forbid a naked breast in a movie and it's hard R.

[alp227]

2. When will the reality-based community ever prevail?

Once those religious right/anti-science/"Hollywood is killing America" types lose their influence big time in another several decades, I think that the MPAA standards will loosen up and be sane for once.

[TheMightyFavog]

3. Good movie on the MPAA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Film_Is_Not_Yet_Rated

[alp227]

4. K&R. Saw that movie last year. Good stuff.

[Hello_Kitty]

5. But the characters could drink like fish through the whole movie and that would be fine

The PTC can shove it's hypocrisy up it's puckered ass.