Remember back in the old days when an adult film was "X-Rated" or "XXX"? That rating has been out of fashion for some time now and replaced by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) with the NC-17 Rating. What's the difference between an X-Rating and NC-17? Nothing. It's the same thing. The MPAA made the change because, as then Chairman Jack Valenti claims in his brief history of the ratings How it All Began:

"The X rating over the years appeared to have taken on a surly meaning in the minds of many people, a meaning that was never intended when the system was created. Therefore, the board chose to reaffirm the original intent of the design..."

In other words, since the X-Rating meant "porn" to audiences the MPAA, as a tool of the studios altered the rating in order to polish its image a bit.

I bring this up as a sign that the MPAA isn't there to promote awareness for families or protect the culture from foul content. The MPAA is there to provide political cover for the studios. In reality the ratings system does little to help identify content but it does manage to make the industry look like it's doing something to police itself.

In actuality, Valaenti the main force behind the ratings system was against having an "adult" rating in the first place:

"Our original plan had been to use only three rating categories, ending with R. It was my view that parents ought to be able to accompany their children to any movie the parents choose, without the movie industry or the government or self-appointed groups interfering with their rights."

He was cool with taking kids to see pornographic depictions. Nice.

Don't let the ratings be the only guide when deciding on a film. When you place your trust purely in the ratings system you're putting the wolf in charge of the sheep. Read reviews, speak to others who have seen the movie, find unbiased info.

Labels: miscellaneous, movie watching tip