Bully to be Released Un-Rated

Posted on March 27, 2012 at 8:00 am

Unable to persuade the MPAA to give a PG-13 rating to “Bully,” the documentary about the tragic consequences of verbal and physical abuse, the producers have decided to released it “unrated.”

“The small amount of language in the film that’s responsible for the R rating is there because it’s real,” said director Lee Hirsch. “It’s what the children who are victims of bullying face on most days. All of our supporters see that, and we’re grateful for the support we’ve received across the board. I know the kids will come, so it’s up to the theaters to let them in.”

…

Nearly half a million people signed a petition from Katy Butler, Michigan high school student and former bullying victim, on Change.org to urge the MPAA to lower the rating. “The kids and families in this film are true heroes, and we believe theater owners everywhere will step up and do what’s right for the benefit of all of the children out there who have been bullied or may have otherwise become bullies themselves,” said TWC president of marketing Stephen Bruno. “We’re working to do everything we can to make this film available to as many parents, teachers and students across the country.”

The MPAA refused the appeal by one vote and refused to reconsider despite the support of Representative Mike Honda and David Boies and Ted Olson, the high-power lawyers who opposed each other in Bush v. Gore and were on the same side in the successful challenge to California’s Proposition 8.

The MPAA, which routinely gives PG-13 ratings to movies with the “f-word” and with very crude and explicit sexual material insist on an R-rating for this film because it includes strong language actually used by teenagers. Parents and high school and middle schoolers (who know these words) are exactly the audience who should see this film and discuss their own experiences. Stay tuned for an interview with director Lee Hirsch coming later this week.

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Commentary

MPAA Asks Parents What They Think About the F-Word

Posted on March 12, 2012 at 4:48 pm

One of the most unfathomably boneheaded policies of the MPAA ratings boards is its position that a PG-13 film can have one or two uses of the f-word as long as it does not refer to sex.

Even a PhD in semiotics could not make sense of that rule. Either the word is fit for the ears of middle schoolers or it isn’t. If it is, it makes no sense to allow it to be used in a hostile or threatening way but not in reference to its actual meaning. If it isn’t, then allowing it once or twice is too much.

Now it appears that the MPAA has a new survey on the topic, which the ratings board cited in ruling against a PG-13 rating for the documentary, “Bully,” but which they have not released.

Parents and educators who would like to share their views on this subject with the MPAA can reach them here:

Joan Graves,
MPAA Ratings Board
15301 Ventura Blvd., Building E
Sherman Oaks, California 91403
(818) 995-6600

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Commentary

Petition to give “Bully” a PG-13 Rating

Posted on February 28, 2012 at 3:56 pm

“Bully,” which will be released on March 3o, is a powerful and critically important documentary about the tragic consequences of bullying on children and teenagers. It can no longer be dismissed as an inevitable part of growing up or something that children should work out for themselves. This film includes horrifying footage of school bus rides and heartbreaking interviews with children who have been bullied and parents whose children committed suicide after being bullied. It has received an R rating from the MPAA for language used by teenagers in the film. The producers appealed, asking for a PG-13 and lost by one vote. They had a majority, but the rules require a two-thirds vote.

This is another bone-headed decision from the MPAA, which routinely gives PG-13 ratings to feature films with extremely raunchy, violent, and irresponsible content. The appeal board’s decision eliminates the potential for “Bully” to reach a mass national audience of students through screenings at U.S. middle and high schools, where the film could be used as a starting point for discussions with students, parents, and teachers. One school district that had planned to have 40,000 students see the film has had to cancel its plans because of the R rating. It is appalling that a documentary about the real lives of children and teens is considered too “adult” for them to see.

A teenager has gathered more than 75,000 names on a Change.org petition to ask MPAA for a PG-13 rating.

MPAA Willing to Consider Banning the F-Word in PG-13 Movies

Posted on August 18, 2011 at 10:52 am

I have consistently criticized the MPAA for allowing the F-word in a PG-13 movie. It used to be limited to one non-sexual use of the term but now they allow it more than once in some PG-13s. It makes no sense at all. Either the word is acceptable for young children or it is not. Movie studios are cynical in manipulating the MPAA to get the rating they think will sell the most tickets. So they will throw a bad word into an otherwise-acceptable film so it won’t get a “babyish” PG rating.

Today I am quoted in a new piece in the Huffington Post by Glenn Whipp of AP about the use of the F-word in PG-13 movies.

“Allowing it once or twice just doesn’t make sense to me,” Minow says. “The word is something you’re OK with a child hearing or you’re not. And, still, in 2011, I’d argue that it’s outside the safety zone for children.”

The MPAA’s Joan Graves responded that she is open to revising the rules to prohibit the F-word if she hears from parents who object. If the language in PG-13 movies bothers you, get in touch with her at:

Joan Graves
MPAA Ratings Board
15301 Ventura Blvd., Building E
Sherman Oaks, California 91403
(818) 995-6600

filmratings@mpaa.org

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture

Progress in Efforts to Cut Back on Smoking in Movies for Kids

Posted on July 18, 2011 at 3:37 pm

MedPage reports that smoking is down in movies rated G, PG, and PG-13.

Overall, there were about 72% fewer on-screen appearances of smoking and tobacco products in G, PG, and PG-13 movies in 2010 than there were in 2005, according to Stanton Glantz, PhD, of the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues…

For the three studios that had actual written policies to reduce tobacco use in their movies, there was an average drop of 95.8% in tobacco appearances, compared with a fall of just 41.7% for the three major studios and some independent film companies that had no such policies.

Among the three with anti-tobacco policies, 88.2% of their top-grossing youth films never featured smoking or tobacco, compared with 57.4% of those from companies without policies.

“This finding indicates that an enforceable policy aimed at reducing tobacco use in youth-rated movies can lead to substantially fewer tobacco incidents in movies and help prevent adolescent initiation of smoking,” Glantz and colleagues wrote.

Advocacy groups have urged film studios not to make smoking look glamorous and sophisticated. The study relied on scenesmoking.org, which has detailed documentation of the frequency and context of smoking in movies and the impact it has on young viewers. The World Health Organization has recommended an automatic R rating for any movie with tobacco smoking, except for those like “Good Night and Good Luck,” where the smoking is included for historical accuracy.

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture