Blue Valentine, the film which stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, has been getting rave film festival reviews but the shadowy Motion Picture Association of America has decided to slap the film with the kiss of death rating of NC-17 … which means many theaters will opt out of showing the film when it gets released this Fall. Here are a few screencaps from the first movie trailer for the film and some deets about the film’s rating:
In a shocking decision, the Motion Picture Association of America has slapped “Blue Valentine” with the dreaded NC-17 rating. The Weinstein Company has high hopes for the drama and has been planning to mount an awards campaign for the Sundance pick-up. “Blue Valentine’s” NC-17 is the latest in a string of controversial decisions by the MPAA ratings board. In the last few months, it handed out R ratings to two award-winning documentaries — “The Tillman Story” and “A Film Unfinished.” Both lost their appeals. Starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, the indie film drew strong reviews from critics who hailed its unflinching look at the breakdown of a marriage. Those who have seen the film were surprised by the decision, noting that while the movie contains sex scenes with some nudity, they were not exploitative. The filmmakers now have four options. They can, of course, accept the rating. They can appeal it to a board composed of distributors, exhibitors and industry executives; they can edit the film and resubmit it; or they can release the film unrated. A spokesperson for the studio had no comment, and it was not immediately clear if the filmmakers would make the cuts necessary to earn an R rating or appeal the board’s decision. The MPAA would not comment on its reasons for the rating, noting that it maintains a posture of silence on all films until the rating has been accepted.
What really KILLS me about the MPAA is that their decisions are made by a board of unknown people and their rulings aren’t governed by any public entity. Essentially, what they say goes … and that is the end of the discussion. Last week I was able to attend the premiere of the MPAA unrated film Hatchet II … a film that has since been yanked from AMC Theaters after they initially agreed to show the film. I understand some parent’s need to rely on movie ratings but I do NOT agree that those ratings should come from a faceless organization that is free to do whatever they want, completely unfettered. It remains to be seen what will happen to Blue Valentine. Either it will make the necessary cuts to get an R rating or it will stick with the NC-17 rating and get hobbled at the box office. My guess is that the film will get censored … which really rubs me the wrong way. After the jump, check out the trailer for Blue Valentine for your first look at the film …
I’ve been really looking forward to the release of this film for many months … I hope the version I eventually get to see will keep the spirit of the original vision alive.
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Trent, have you seen the documentary “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” ? The MPAA is def shady. But this movie looks very promising!
@neondaydream — I have. I also used to live near the offices of the MPAA and, I’m telling you, that group of folks are shady shady.
This movie looks pointless and just one of THOSE movies that doesn’t really go anywhere but relies on its indie foundation. HMMMMMMMM…
I’m really excited for this film. I hope they appeal and win the rating. As a parent, I do agree with the need to place ratings or disclaimers for movies, but to be admitted to a rated R movie you must be of age or have a consenting guardian. I have seen many movies with gratuitous nudity and language and drug use, etc. and a R rating was given. Why this movie? Maybe this could be the “game changer” where we change our ways of rating our films. The people who will not give this film an R rating will give childrens films G ratings when they are riddled with innuendos and gestures inappropriate for the target group. I say…Coup!!!
Trent, do you have any idea why they would have rated it this way? The trailer doesn’t give us much in the way of plot. Is this movie like Revolutionary Road for the younger generation? Is it about domestic violence? Or did they really rate it based solely on sex scenes?
I got to see this movie and honestly it was one of the most honest films i’ve seen in such a long time. Ryan Gosling is going to get nominated for an Oscar and I hope that Michelle Williams does too (but the lead actress category is packed). This rating is bullcrap. There was a scene where they are in a hotel room and Ryan’s character wants to have sex and she doesn’t. He doesn’t rape her persay but she’s not into it at all. It was a heartbreaking scene and necessary to see how broken they are as a couple, so it would be terrible if they were forced to cut that out. They already cut it down considerably since they first aired it at a film festival in January I believe.
Josephine is right in identifying the contentious scene and it’s such a disappointing decision on the part of the MPAA. They’ve demonstrated, once again, the arbitrary nature of their rulings. There’s not a moment wasted in Blue Valentine and that scene in particular is integral in explaining the relationship between the lead characters. The fact that the scene makes the viewer uncomfortable is exactly the point and should not be an excuse for the MPAA to punish the film with the NC-17 rating.
neondaydream is right, “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” is a great documentary and totally worth watching. Seriously, netflix it or something.
The movie good luck chuck was rated R and it had so many freakin pornographic sex scenes and boobs out that i couldn’t believe it. Either they got a lot of complaints and have gotten stricter or they get money or somethin for giving films like that an R rating instead of NC-17.
Ugh. Fucking America.
Mindless, brutal violence- that’s just fine. But consensual sex is bad?
What kind of message is that sending to children?
maybe there should be a separate rating system altogether for indie movies that are actually bringing to light things that might make people think or make people face harsh realities and instead of rating it as “inappropriate” for most audiences they should rate it “intended for mature viewers that like to open their minds and think about ideas outside their normal comfort zone”
Josephine is absolutely right. It’s the scene she describes that triggered the rating. The phonies and puritans at the MPAA decided that an incredibly realistic portrayal of psychologically distressing sex plus very brief frontal nudity are too much for Americans too handle. Please Netflix or search for a local arthouse theater, think for yourself, and relay it on the grapevine.
i have to be honest i didn’t like this movie