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Voluntary
Movie Rating System
What is the
purpose of the rating system?
The movie rating system is a
voluntary system sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America
and the National Association of Theatre Owners to provide parents with
advance information on films, enabling the parent to make judgments on
movies they want or don't want their children to see.
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Do
the ratings indicate if a movie is good or bad?
No, the system is not designed
to serve the function of "critic." The ratings do not
determine or reflect whether a films is "good" or "bad." The
system is not intended to approve, disapprove or censor any film; it
merely assigns a rating for guidance--leaving the decision-making
responsibilities to the parents.
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Who gives movies
their ratings?
Parents give the movies their
ratings--men and women just like you. They are part of a
specially designed committee called the film rating board of the
Classification of Rating Administration. As a group they view
each film and, after a group discussion, vote on its rating, making an
educated estimate as to which rating most American parents will
consider the most appropriate.
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What criteria do they use?
The rating board uses the
criteria you as a parent use when deciding what is suitable viewing for
your child. Theme, language, violence, nudity, sex and drug
use are among those content areas considered in the decision-making
process. Also assessed is how each of these elements is
deployed in the context of each individual film. The rating
board places no special emphasis on any of these elements; all are
considered and examined before a rating is given.
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What do the rating
symbols mean?
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| G |
GENERAL AUDIENCES |
All
ages admitted.
Signifies that the film rated contains nothing most parents will
consider offensive for even their youngest children to see or
hear. Nudity, sex scenes, and scenes of drug use are absent;
violence is minimal; snippets of dialogue may go beyond polite
conversation but do not go beyond common everyday expressions. |
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| PG |
PARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED |
Some
material may not be suitable for children.
Signifies that the film rated may contain some material parents might
not like to expose to their young children -- material that will
clearly need to be examined or inquired about before children are
allowed to attend the film. Explicit sec scenes and scenes of
drug use are absent; nudity, if present, is seen only briefly, horror
and violence do not exceed moderate levels. |
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| PG-13 |
PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED |
Some
material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Signifies that the film rated may be inappropriate for
pre-teens. Parents should be especially careful about letting
their younger children attend. Rough or persistent violence
is absent; sexually-oriented nudity is generally absent; some scenes of
drug use may be seen; some use of one of the harsher sexually-derived
words may be heard. |
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| R |
RESTRICTED |
Under
17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Signifies that the rating board has concluded that the film rated may
contain some adult material. Parents are urged to learn more
about the film before taking their children to see it. An R
may be assigned due to, among other things, a film's use of language,
theme, violence, sex or its portrayal of drug use. |
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| NC-17 |
NO ONE 17 AND UNDER ADMITTED
Signifies that the rating board believes that most
American parents would feel that the film is patently adult and that
children age 17 and under should not be admitted to it. The
Film may contain explicit sex scenes, an accumulation of
sexually-oriented language, and/or scenes of excessive
violence. The NC-17 designation does not, however, signify
that the rated film is obscene or pornographic in terms of sex,
language or violence. |
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Is the rating system a
law?
No, the rating system is
strictly voluntary and carries no force of law.
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Can a rating be changed?
Yes, the rules permit movie
producers to re-edit their films and re-submit them in hopes of
receiving another rating. Producers may also appeal a rating
decision to the Rating Appeals Board, which is composed of men and
women from the industry organizations that sponsor the rating
system. A two-thirds secret ballot vote of those present on
the Appeals Board may overturn a rating board decision.
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Do all movies have to
be rated?
No. Submitting a film
is purely a voluntary decision made by the filmmakers.
However, the overwhelming majority of the producers creating
entertaining, responsible films do in fact submit their films for
ratings. All five Classification and Rating Administration
rating symbols have been trademarked and may not be self-applied.
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Who enforces the ratings?
While the decision to enforce
the rating system is purely voluntary, the overwhelming majority of
theaters follow the Classification and Rating Administration's
guidelines and diligently enforce its provisions.
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How
do you get more information about a rating?
For additional information
about the voluntary movie rating system and ratings for new releases,
visit the Motion Picture Association of America's home page on the
World Wide Web. Their address is http://www.mpaa.org.
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