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DVD Exposes Hypocrisy of Hollywood Rating System

by Kam Williams

This Film Is Not Yet Rated

The clandestine organization entrusted with deciding whether a film warrants a G, PG, PG-13, R or NC-17 is the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). This anonymous group of nine individuals wields an incredible amount of influence, because their decisions essentially determine who will be allowed to see a picture, which in turn influences whether or not it will even end up in theaters.

Because Kirby Dick noticed that very similar flicks often fared different fates after being screened by the MPAA, he decided to do some digging to get to the bottom of the discrepancies. The results of his investigation are contained in this damning documentary which exposes the MPAA as a thinly-veiled arm of the handful of Hollywood studios which have come to dominate the industry.

Relying on the assistance of a couple of ruthless private investigators who employed every trick in the trade (including stakeouts, stalking, digging through trash, hidden cameras and other undercover work), Dick determined the identities of the ratings board. While neither recently-retired MPAA President Jack Valenti, nor any of the current members of the gang of nine was willing to explain the methods involved in arriving at a movie's ratings, maverick directors like John Waters, Kevin Smith, Matt Stone and Atom Egoyan do make appearances here to talk about how the ratings are rigged in favor of pictures produced by the industry conglomerates, while they simultaneously suppress work created outside of the studio system.

We also learn that gruesome violence garners only an R, while graphic sexuality generally gets an NC-17. And gay-themed content is likely to be censored to a greater degree than nudity and carnality found in a similar straight adventure. Overall, a fascinating expose' which convincingly conveys the idea that the MPAA screening process ought to be open to public scrutiny.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated NC-17 for graphic sexual content.
Running time: 97 minutes
Studio: Genius Productions

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