movie ratings news stories on Newser

PG-13 Rating: Ticket to Box-Office Magic?

Matt Cantor — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:57:00 CDT

One key to The Avengers ' record success this weekend: its PG-13 rating. The top six highest-grossing movies ever made are all rated PG-13; the rating points to a film that's titillating enough for teens but isn't likely to offend adults, the Los Angeles Times notes. The rating has become...

Similar Sex Scenes Earn Different Ratings

savageviking — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 11:37:20 CST

Hollywood's rating system is coming under fire again after two Oscar contenders, Black Swan and Blue Valentine , received R and NC-17 ratings, respectively. Debate is raging because both films depict oral sex scenes in essentially the same way, for the same time and with no nudity, reports the Los Angeles...

Streep's Reefer Moment Hardly R-Rated

Kevin Spak — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:43:00 CST

Insiders say the only reason Meryl Streep’s new romantic comedy It’s Complicated has an R rating is a scene in which she smokes marijuana, and that’s causing a “minor ruckus” in Hollywood. A source close to the hearings tells Robert Ablon of the Los Angeles Times “pot smoking with no...

Stars Bomb at the Box Office

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:29:06 CDT

Hollywood executives are scratching their heads over why so many mega-wattage stars are failing to fill movie houses. A record number of usual box-office successes like Denzel Washington, Will Ferrell, Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks came up short, in some cases not even attracting enough viewers for producers to break...

Bruno Slapped With NC-17 Rating

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:16:44 CDT

Sacha Baron Cohen’s next risqué turn—this time as a gay Austrian fashionista—is turning out to be a little too raunchy for some: Bruno has been slapped with an NC-17 rating, the Wrap reports. Among the potential reasons: Anal sex and a nude camping scene. The film, which intends...

G Rating Not Safe for Kids Anymore

Ambreen Ali — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:42:24 CST

The G rating has devolved into ambiguity, providing parents little clue of what's in store for their kids, Emily Bazelon writes in Slate. Take The Tale of Despereaux about a bookish mouse's fairy tale rescue of a princess from rats. It was entertaining and age-appropriate as a kids' book, she...

Director Smith: Friendship, not Sex, Is the Heart of Porno

Rob Quinn — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:40:17 CDT

Zack and Miri do indeed make a porno in Zack and Miri Make a Porno but the movie is about a lot more than just sex, director Kevin Smith tells Reuters. The story about a pair of cash-strapped pals entering the adult film biz is about love and friendship, Smith...

Parents Say Knight Too Dark for Kids

Harry Kimball — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:31:36 CDT

Parents who saw the PG-13 rating attached to The Dark Knight and decided to bring the kids along are walking away, if not dissatisfied, then a little miffed. “I know it's a good movie, but it should have been rated R,” one surprised mother tells USA Today . Another parent was...