Introduction and PG-13 Rating Origins

• Chuck introduces weekend "Stuff You Should Know Selects" episode from June 26, 2014
• Selected due to Chuck's new show "Movie Crush" and interest in movie-related topics
• Josh and Chuck discuss their negative views of MPAA practices
• Both support film content rating for parents but criticize MPAA's methods

PG-13 Rating Creation (1984)

• Steven Spielberg created PG-13 rating after backlash from two 1984 films
  • "Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom" (directed) - criticized for heart removal scene, snake scenes
  • "Gremlins" (produced) - considered terrifying for children
• Both films rated PG despite inappropriate content for that rating
• Spielberg approached MPAA requesting intermediate rating between PG and R
• PG-13 became the "strike zone" for maximum profitability
• PG-13 movies pull in more money than all other ratings combined
• Targets young teenage boys who successfully get girls to attend movies
• PG-13 violence has tripled over past few decades
• PG-13 movies now contain more violence than R-rated counterparts

MPAA Historical Development

Early Period (1922-1950s)

• MPAA formed in early 1920s in Hollywood
• Will Hayes installed "Hays Code" - pass/fail moral/immoral system
• Extensive code requirements:
  • Government always portrayed positively
  • Sexuality repressed and heterosexual only
  • Clear good vs. evil divisions
  • Good guys always win
• Created to prevent local municipalities from passing obscenity laws
• Self-policing system to control exhibition and profits

Post-WWII Changes (1950s)

• Society loosened up after WWII
• Frank Sinatra won Oscar nomination for heroin addict role in "The Man with the Golden Arm"
• "Some Like It Hot" (1959) with cross-dressing themes
• Hays Code effectively dead by end of 1950s

Modern Rating System Birth (1968)

• Ginsburg Supreme Court case regarding selling adult magazines to minors
• Court ruled local municipalities could decide minor exposure standards
• Jack Valenti (MPAA head for ~40 years) created current rating system
• Original ratings: G, PG, R, X
• Intention to stop censorship and local restrictions
• Money-centered motivation to ensure wide theatrical release

Current Rating System Structure

Rating Definitions

• G: General audience, anyone can see
• PG: No drug use, minimal violence, parental guidance suggested
• PG-13: Introduced 1984, allows more violence but restricts language/sex
• R: No one under 17 admitted without parent (suggestion, not law)
• NC-17: Adults only, replaced X rating in 1990
  • First NC-17 film: "Henry and June" - commercially unsuccessful
  • Associated with foreign films and LGBTQ+ content

Rating Process

• Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) handles ratings
• 8-13 anonymous "Raiders" watch films and take notes
• Overseen by senior Raider
• Supposed to have children ages 5-17 (many don't meet requirements)
• Vote on ratings, communicate through senior Raider to distributors
• Completely secret process - no Raider names released
• Kirby Dick's documentary "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" exposed fraudulent practices

Submission and Appeals

• Voluntary system but de facto required for theatrical release
• Fees: $750 for shorts to $25,000 for big budget films
• No major theater chains show unrated movies
• Three options after rating: accept, edit film, or reject rating
• Appeals process historically conducted in secret
• Before Kirby Dick's film, couldn't reference other movies in appeals
• Appeals board includes industry insiders and theater owners

MPAA Bias and Controversies

Violence vs. Sex/Language Double Standard

• MPAA more lenient with violence than sexuality or profanity
• PG-13 movies contain more violence than R-rated films
• Homophobic and misogynistic tendencies in ratings
• Male sexual gratification more acceptable than female
• LGBTQ+ content routinely receives harsher ratings

Specific Rating Examples

• "Once" (romantic musical) and "Hostel 2" (torture porn) - same R rating
• "Philomena" rated R for f-bombs, reduced to PG-13 after cuts
• "Rushmore" rated R for brief Playboy centerfolds in background
• "Happiness" - director Todd Solondz refused NC-17, released unrated
• "Longtime Companion" (1989) - NC-17 for gay themes, no explicit content
• "Blue Is the Warmest Color" - NC-17 for lesbian content
• "Wolf of Wall Street" - R rating despite graphic heterosexual content

Industry Conflicts of Interest

• MPAA represents six major Hollywood studios (95% of $10.9 billion US box office)
• Accused of favoring major studios over independents and foreign films
• Raiders supposedly unaffiliated with industry but appeals board includes industry insiders
• Secret process eliminates accountability

MPAA Beyond Ratings - Anti-Piracy Efforts

Historical Technology Opposition

• Jack Valenti lobbied against VCR legality in early 1980s
• Pattern of opposing new technology to protect studio profits
• Current focus on digital distribution and online piracy

Anti-Piracy Measures

• Digital Millennium Copyright Act (2000) - made peer-to-peer sharing federal crime
• Crackdown on camcorder recording in theaters
• Academy screener tracking with name coding
• Public performance licenses required for any non-home screening
• Even churches need licenses to show films like "Frozen"

Modern Challenges

• HBO's relaxed attitude toward password sharing
• Video on demand and internet distribution bypass MPAA control
• Industry made $10.9 billion in 2013 ticket sales alone
• Public sympathy low for industry piracy complaints
• Precarious time for MPAA - losing power while needing it most

Marketing and Check the Box System

• New "Check the Box" descriptions explain rating reasons
• Critics say it's advertising disguised as warnings
• Examples: "intense sci-fi action," "brief nudity," "some drug use"
• Accused of marketing R-rated content to underage audiences
• Tie-ins between PG-13 movies and toys for under-13 children
• Undermines supposed moral compass protection

Transparency and Reform Calls

• Filmmakers want transparency, not elimination of ratings
• Secrecy enables manipulation and gaming of system
• Directors intentionally include extreme content to distract from desired content
• No written standards available to filmmakers
• Subjective system without clear guidelines
• Recent minor concession: possibly releasing 3 out of 13 Raider names per film