This Film Is Not Yet Rated

I love documentaries. I love, love, love them. How else would you want to learn about all the obscure and unique qualities that this world has to offer? Of course you could go out and experience the world, but that’s so overrated… Speaking of ratings – here is a documentary that takes a deep dive look at the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). The board that is responsible for viewing all the films before they are released in America onto the silver screen. Ratings from G, PG, PG-13, R, to NC-17. And there is a ton of controversy around the actual team members who sit on the MPAA and make these decisions on behalf of the America populous.

This Film is Not Yet Rated Trailer

Supposedly the MPAA board is supposed to be made up of somewhere around 9-12 members who are in certain age range (27-42??? Don’t remember). They are supposed to have a certain amount of children, be in a certain tax bracket (middle class), and be a representative sample of the rest of us Americans. However, this movie investigates these criteria and finds that the MPAA board is not who they say they are. It’s very interesting to see private investigators look into the members that make up this board. The findings are quite profound.

Another great angle this film takes is discussing how/why the MPAA makes directors take certain parts out of films in order for them to obtain a R-rating as opposed to an NC-17 rating that would pretty much kill the films profit margins in the theatres. It is well known that NC-17 films struggle and make nowhere near the money that an R-rated film would make. In this film directors review those portions of films that were rejected by the MPAA and dig deep to analyze why these cuts had to happen. They also juxtapose other films against their film, which got rejected, to see the double standards the MPAA is obviously upholding day in and out.

This is a great documentary that pulls back the curtain to look at an agency that influences a lot of what Americans can and CANNOT see. Everyone should see this documentary to understand the interworking and influence that the MPAA has upon the masses.

Rating: 8.5/10