The other day the subject of movies came up in small group discussion at church. Apparently, going to see R-rated movies (unless it is Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ, which I consider pornography and won't see) is something a real Christian doesn't do. No, it wasn't stated outright as a rule; it was more of one member's statement, "I don't see R-rated movies."
For those of you who may not be familiar with the US film rating system, G is for anyone (nothing controversial, nothing violent, nothing offensive), PG-13 is not for little kids (there's some foul language, some sexual innuendo, and things like smoking and drinking) and R has violence, sex, nudity, foul language, so it's basically adults only. There is another rating, NC-17 or what used to be called X, but those kind of movies you really have to go out of your way to find, at least around here. So "R" has become the new "X".
Anyway, I've heard this before, and frankly I don't understand it. What a person chooses to see or not see is their business, and if one doesn't want to see a movie based on its rating, that is their choice. But I do think that by looking only at the rating and not on the basis of plot, you are going to miss out on some really good films. No, I don't really like explicit sex or violence or bad language, and if that is what the movie is all about, then no, I won't see it. But if I followed the no-R movies rule, I would miss out on such films as "A Serious Man", "Gran Torino", "Heartbreak Ridge", just to name a few in my collection. In fact, I had to look at the ratings to see what they were, and frankly I don't understand why "Gran Torino" gets an R when "Doubt" and "Lakeview Terrace" are PG-13. All deal with what I would call mature subject matter. These aren't little kids movies. These are gritty dramas, the kind I can really get into.
On the other hand, I have seen so-called family movies that are far, far worse than the movies my "friends" strive to avoid. I've seen some PG-13 movies that were non-stop innuendo. That were mindless. But I don't hear anyone saying that they don't go to PG-13 movies. I have, however, learned to steer clear of anything bearing the "dove" symbol (meaning it's OK for Christians) because I know what I will find there, mostly insipid, bland, plotlines. Worse yet, many of these movies lie. They present a picture of life that is not realistic, that you can do the most stupid and rash things without facing any real consequences, and everything will come out rosy in the end. I would much, much rather have my child (if I had one) watch some of the R movies in my collection (provided he or she was mature enough) than some of the family movies I have seen.
I am not against a ratings system; I think that people should be informed so that they know what they are choosing. But the current ratings system is meaningless. I don't go by it when choosing what to watch; I go by the plot description. Either this is something I want to see or I don't. The rating doesn't matter. What I am looking for is quality entertainment--and that is much, much harder to rate.
For those of you who may not be familiar with the US film rating system, G is for anyone (nothing controversial, nothing violent, nothing offensive), PG-13 is not for little kids (there's some foul language, some sexual innuendo, and things like smoking and drinking) and R has violence, sex, nudity, foul language, so it's basically adults only. There is another rating, NC-17 or what used to be called X, but those kind of movies you really have to go out of your way to find, at least around here. So "R" has become the new "X".
Anyway, I've heard this before, and frankly I don't understand it. What a person chooses to see or not see is their business, and if one doesn't want to see a movie based on its rating, that is their choice. But I do think that by looking only at the rating and not on the basis of plot, you are going to miss out on some really good films. No, I don't really like explicit sex or violence or bad language, and if that is what the movie is all about, then no, I won't see it. But if I followed the no-R movies rule, I would miss out on such films as "A Serious Man", "Gran Torino", "Heartbreak Ridge", just to name a few in my collection. In fact, I had to look at the ratings to see what they were, and frankly I don't understand why "Gran Torino" gets an R when "Doubt" and "Lakeview Terrace" are PG-13. All deal with what I would call mature subject matter. These aren't little kids movies. These are gritty dramas, the kind I can really get into.
On the other hand, I have seen so-called family movies that are far, far worse than the movies my "friends" strive to avoid. I've seen some PG-13 movies that were non-stop innuendo. That were mindless. But I don't hear anyone saying that they don't go to PG-13 movies. I have, however, learned to steer clear of anything bearing the "dove" symbol (meaning it's OK for Christians) because I know what I will find there, mostly insipid, bland, plotlines. Worse yet, many of these movies lie. They present a picture of life that is not realistic, that you can do the most stupid and rash things without facing any real consequences, and everything will come out rosy in the end. I would much, much rather have my child (if I had one) watch some of the R movies in my collection (provided he or she was mature enough) than some of the family movies I have seen.
I am not against a ratings system; I think that people should be informed so that they know what they are choosing. But the current ratings system is meaningless. I don't go by it when choosing what to watch; I go by the plot description. Either this is something I want to see or I don't. The rating doesn't matter. What I am looking for is quality entertainment--and that is much, much harder to rate.
