Film Ratings Matter and are there for a reason. Parents-your little kids shouldn’t be in a PG-13 movie.

Film Ratings Matter and are there for a reason. Parents-your little kids shouldn’t be in a PG-13 movie.

June 17, 2011
No Comments

Many films today have depictions of gratuitous violence, sex, and drug use. That’s not to say these films don’t have merit in them. For example, the film Requiem for a Dream has it’s main characters all prevalently abusing Cocaine, Heroin, and Prescription medicine, but the story it tells of these people goes beyond the overall depictions it has. Now, while it is a fantastic film, should a child be able to see a film like this? Of course not, for it contains material that a child would not understand, or could even frighten or confuse a child. What most parents don’t realize is that there is a rating system on movies for a reason, and that it is not just some letter in a movie preview, or even the colour of a movie advert (more on that later). Parents need to see clearly why the rating system today exists and how to use it to their advantage, and to not take it lightly.
In America we have the MPAA or Motion Picture Association of America, which is the rating system that is used in U.S.and it’s territories. This rating system has been around since the 60’s and, while some things have changed, it has been a generally consistent way of rating films in America. A ‘G” rating stands for general audiences, contains hardly, if any, offensive content, and is an all-aged admitted film. A “PG” rating is Parental Guidance Suggested, meaning that it may contain content unsuitable for children. “PG-13” means Parental Guidance 13+ (Changed in 2011 due to confusion it caused for parents), and has content unsuitable for children under 13, but does not prevent children under 13 from attending – parents should beware of this if they feel a film rated PG-13 may be not suitable for their child. The next rating is ‘R” which stands for restricted, and requires a parent or guardian to accompany anyone under 17. These films contain subject matter inappropriate anyone who is not 17, though, parents may be able to explain to their kids, if they feel that the film would be appropriate (most war films have this rating due to violence). The final, and most severe rating, is NC-17 which is for films that no one under 17 is permitted, even with a parent or guardian; not many films have received this rating.
Now, many parents don’t usually catch this, but each film preview has a colour around it, and contains words within it that describe what it contains to give it the rating. A quick rundown shows that green is used for G through PG-13 trailers, yellow for NC-17 trailers and Internet trailers, Red for R-rated films,  and blue and black for all movies, regardless of ratings. Moving on to words to describe each film. Language is used to describe if a film contains expletives, ranging from brief language to strong language. Usually, the higher rated films either contain the f-word used in a sexual manner at least once, or a wide variety of cuss words, though parents should always check just how much language is being used (brief to strong). Drugs, which was aforementioned in the beginning paragraph, can range from momentary drug use to graphic drug use (which can easily get a film an R-rating). A reference to Marijuana usually gets a film a PG-13 rating, and will usually say within the confines of the advert “Drug references”. The next word to consider is Sexual content, which can range from brief nudity to full frontal nudity. Once again, consider the word choice. The final word is violence, which ranges from some violence to extreme violence and gore (the last one’s perfect example would be the Saw series).
With knowledge of the rating system, hopefully more parents will learn what movies to take their kids to and what movies to stay away from. If a parent feels that the R-rated Saving Private Ryan is appropriate for their 13 year old because of it’s historical merit, then so be it, but a parent should always remember to explain to a child after seeing a movie that may not have seemed appropriate to them certain aspects they may not have understood. To avoid this, though, always watch previews and pay attention to ratings and diction used in each advert to describe why a movie has its rating. It will keep your kid safe from seeing something that will shock and dismay them and help you, as a parent, from having an awkward conversation with your child on a certain topic that should not have to happen for years.

-By Arthur Collier

Christian Entertainment News, Editorials, Headlines, MediaMonitor, Top Headlines