The Motion Picture Association of America wields tremendous power in the film industry.
Most major theater chains will refuse to screen movies that haven't been rated by the MPAA,
or which have been assigned the dreaded NC-17 — meaning no minors, no matter what.
Naturally, this system incentivizes both studios and filmmakers to satisfy the ratings board's
standards.
But the anonymity and sometimes inscrutable logic of the MPAA has led to a number of controversies.
Here are the films that were slapped with ratings that were too strict, too lenient,
or just plain strange.
Hunchback's hypocrisy
Disney's animated output between the late '80s and early '90s is referred to as a "renaissance"
for good reason.
Beginning with The Little Mermaid and culminating with The Lion King, their films racked up
critical praise, box office returns, and recognition unheard of in decades.
Then, in 2001, Atlantis: The Lost Empire ushered in the era of PG being the norm for Disney.
But just before the turn of the millennium, The Hunchback of Notre Dame snuck through
with a pretty inappropriate G.
"But I'd never fit in out there.
I'm not normal…"
Although the studio streamlined the dense original story from the 1831 novel, the villain
still confessed his lustful passions, in prayer, during the "Hellfire" musical number.
Some parents expressed concern, but not enough to hold Hunchback back from financial success.
A harrowing Hobbit
As the final film in Peter Jackson's two Middle-earth trilogies, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five
Armies holds a singular place in film history.
Each Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film has received an "Extended Edition" that includes
more material from Tolkien's books than its theatrical counterpart.
"You think your life is worth more than theirs, when there is no love in it.
There is no love in you."
The first five of these maintained their original theatrical rating of PG-13, but Battle of
the Five Armies' bonus 20 minutes of footage, got an R. An oddly severe rating, given that
Hobbit fans had likely already seen Return of the King's depictions of severed heads
being flung by catapult.
The too-dark Knight
One case of outrage over a movie's rating was so severe it altered the course of an
entire multimedia franchise.
Tim Burton's Batman became an instant pop culture landmark in 1989 by presenting a more
serious take on the Caped Crusader.
But many thought his second outing went too far.
"I am Cat Woman.
Hear me roar!"
Batman Returns bears the same PG-13 rating as its predecessor, but its script introduced
a heavy innuendo and psychosexual themes — and then there was the Penguin, who had a tendency
to ooze black bile.
According to Den of Geek, the backlash made serious waves at Warner Bros.
And the reins to the next Batman adventure would be handed over, instead, to Joel Schumacher,
who delivered the bright neon action of Batman Forever.
Babe's barnyard carnage
George Miller may be known for his Mad Max movies, but he's also made significant diversions
into family fare with the Happy Feet and Babe series.
The latter was a whimsical fable with a heart-warming ending, but its G rating masks some surprisingly
dark content.
"I want my mom!"
True to Miller's style, Babe's themes run deeper than meets the eye.
Mortality looms over the barnyard, with most of the characters reminding Babe that his
"purpose" is to be devoured by his human "bosses."
The Academy Awards even took note of Babe's mature themes, nominating it for seven honors,
including Best Picture.
Psycho sexuality
It was nearly impossible for American Psycho to not cause controversy.
"One part of me wants to take her out and talk to her, be real nice and sweet and treat
her right."
"And what does the other part think?"
Haha, what her head would look like on a stick!"
According to Variety, the film initially received a rating of NC-17.
Weirdly enough, though, what pushed it past the R wasn't the graphic and gleeful murdering
committed by Christian Bale's character, but a single non-violent sex scene.
Director Mary Harron explained why she found the rating objectionable, saying,
"That Bateman is looking at himself in the mirror and not at his partners seems to be
an issue for the MPAA, but his expression sums up his frighteningly detached relationship
to the world around him."
Rating the reality of Bully
Documentaries present a unique challenge to the MPAA, but no rating caused more of an
uproar than 2011's documentary Bully.
"I feel kinda nervous going to school, because I like learning, but I have trouble making
friends."
Director Lee Hirsch made the film to feature issues faced by American children.
But the MPAA declared Bully an R for language, meaning the demographic depicted in the documentary
would be unable to see it without a parent, and schools would be unlikely to host screenings.
According to CinemaBlend, Michigan high school student Katy Butler launched a Change.org
petition that amassed over half a million signatures protesting the rating.
Still, the MPAA refused to budge.
Hirsch eventually prepared a PG-13 version that toned down the language.
The original cut was also released, but limited to theaters willing to screen unrated films.
A wilder bunch
In 1995, Warner Bros. prepared a "Director's Cut" of Sam Peckinpah's 1969 classic The Wild
Bunch that restored ten minutes of material trimmed from the original release for time.
"Relax, it's just some champagne we ordered."
An SFGate review praised the new release, saying,
"The restored material does not call attention to itself.
It was there in the first place and it fits right in."
But while The Wild Bunch was rated R in 1969, the MPAA slapped the Director's Cut with an
NC-17.
Respected filmmakers fought the revisionist rating, citing the fact that the NC-17 would
limit the film's availability.
The MPAA eventually relented to an appeal from Warner Bros. and released the Director's
Cut with an R, but the incident still stands as an example of the ratings board's imperfection.
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