This Film Is Not Yet Rated Details

Great Documentary

This was one of the best documentaries I have seen in a long time. Informative but also entertaining, it provided an intriguing glimpse into a particularly important and mysterious world - that of US film ratings.

As both a movie lover and a one time film student, I found the subject matter extremely interesting, but I think that it would be a highly useful watch for anyone who cares about freedom of expression and tolerance. It exposes the disturbing lack of transparency inherent in the American film ratings system, and its disproportionate censorship of sex while horriffic violence (with little depicted consequence) is deemed appropriate for children to watch.

The filmmaker, Kirby Dick, and his hired private investigator are likeable and human, and their quest to find out the secrets of the MPAA genuinely enjoyable.

As a UK citizen, this film will make you glad that our own film ratings board, the BBFC, is more transparent and balanced these days than the system used by the USA. It is also particularly relevant to all those puzzled by the strange social contradictions of the 'land of the free'.

* * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

Good, but a bit disappointing

The peculiarities of the US rating system are explored well, even though the argument is only put from one side (Michael Moore style)

What disappointed me was the absence of any discussion over why an NC-17 rating signifies the death of a movie in the US. The equivalent 18 rating in UK does not seem to have the same disastrous consequences for film makers (in the US it seems distributors drop the film, shops don’t stock the DVD etc.) but there was no exploration of why this situation exists, or who is to blame for this censorship further down the chain.