Kevin Smith’s new film, ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO, starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks was submitted to the MPAA recently for a rating. It got the kiss of death: an NC-17 rating. An NC-17 basically means box office poison. No magazines or newspapers will run ads for it and few theaters will show it.
The MPAA ratings board has been documented as a strict, rigid, hypocritical bunch of morons who have no set criteria for choosing their ratings. In addition they typically allow tons of violence but frown upon sex and curse words. Their appeals process is also supposed to be a largely fruitless endeavor. Typically they stick to their decisions and no amount of evidence can sway them. But I guess Kevin Smith did and he didn’t have to cut anything.
Kevin Smith is victorious! The filmmaker, who had been given an NC-17 rating by the MPAA for his new film Zack and Miri Make a Porno, was forced to take the decision to the appeal process.
The rating would have prohibited anyone younger than 17 years old from seeing the movie, even when accompanied by an adult. The rating also would have prevented the film from being advertised in certain places and during certain times. Basically, The Weinstein Co probably wouldn’t have released the movie as an NC-17, because, of course, they need to make their money back.
So Smith brought the film to an appeals board, who gave the film a revised rating of Restricted! This is a huge victory for Smith. The film will be going out uncut and uncensored! (note: but uncensored and uncut, I actually mean as the latest cut he had handed into the MPAA)
It seems clear to me that any adult would understand the risk of bringing a minor to a movie with the word “porno” in the title. And besides, it is far from a porno – it’s a comedy. Sure it has nudity, but it is far from anything that can be viewed on Saturday late-night on HBO.
Good for Kevin. He’s lost his touch as a filmmaker and this film will probably be a real stinker but I applaud anyone that can trump the MPAA board. In keeping with the anti-Tim Burton nature of this blog, here is a clip of Kevin discussing his experience with Tim.
