MPAA Rating

Definition: A US guideline available for most movies that is intended to help parents decide the suitability of a film's content for viewing by their children. Since 1968 the major studios have submitted each of their movies to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which has a panel view it and assign it a classification based on matters like nudity, sex, language, violence, drug usage and themes. The panel's judgment is subjective, and they classify the film based on criteria that are murky. The classifications have varied over the years, but currently they are: NC-17 — no one 17 and under admitted. R — under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. PG-13 — some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. PG — some material may not be suitable for children. G — suitable for all ages. The MPAA rating system is voluntary, and whether or not a movie is submitted to the MPAA for rating is fundamentally part of its marketing strategy. Films not submitted to the MPAA for rating are said to be not rated (NR) or unrated. Most movies released theatrically prior to 1968 are not rated. Films expected to be shown theatrically to only art-house audiences, such as foreign and independent movies, are often not rated. Some movies are rated R in theaters, yet a version is released on DVD that is billed as unrated and uncut. This means simply that the DVD version was not rated by the MPAA. Sometimes an unrated DVD version of a movie will have more gore or violence or nudity or raunchiness than the R-rated theatrical version, but this is not necessarily the case.