DVD Review: This Film is Not Yet Rated

By Jeff Swindoll Jan 29, 2007, 16:11 GMT

Coming off the success of his controversial, Oscar-nominated film Twist of Faith, Kirby Dick presents a bold new documentary targeting a sacred cow of the film industry. Details are closely guarded, but this film is likely to generate an uproar upon its premiere. ...more

This excellent documentary raises the curtain on the secretive group that rates movies and in a moment of either genius or insanity actually submits the film to them to be rated. 

The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) is the shadowy group that decides the rating for films.  A film’s rating can also be the death knell for a film.  If your picture happens to get the dreaded NC-17 (what used to be an X) that means that no one under 17 can see your picture.  It also means that most theaters will not carry it and advertising is reduced to nil.  What seemingly irked documentary maker Kirby Dick is that the major studios seemingly had more leeway when submitting their films instead of the independent filmmakers. 

The ratings

For example, Matt Stone (producer of South Park) tells the story from both sides of the fence.  He was involved with an independent film called Orgazmo that ended up with an NC-17.  When asking the board about what could they do to get an R they were basically given vague, unhelpful answers.  Stone was also involved some years later with a picture for Paramount called South Park: The Movie.  This time they were given very specific cuts that needed to me made to get to the R rating that the studio required.  What is even more off-putting is that the MPAA is made up of raters who are veiled in a cloak of secrecy.  Dick hires a private detective to track down some of these raters and we eventually here from two former raters. 

In fact, before this documentary these two former raters were the only ones known.  The MPAA makes all raters sign a purposely vague non-disclosure agreement (being vague so they can sue you over anything they feel you say that is detrimental to them).  What is even more disheartening is the appeals process which also has rules that are cloaked in secrecy and silence.  Dick uncovers many less than democratic aspects of the MPAA and also interviews a host of filmmakers who have been on the wrong side of the R rating.  He also uses news footage of Jack Valenti, founder of the MPAA, to great effect. 

The film has interviews with director Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry), author Jon Lewis (Hollywood vs. Hardcore), Newsweek film critic David Ansen, first amendment attorney Martin Garbus, director Wayne Kramer (The Cooler), director Kevin Smith (Clerks), director John Waters (A Dirty Shame), producer Matt Stone (South Park), former ratings board chairman Richard Hefner, co-founder of October Films Bingham Ray, author Joel Federman (Media Ratings), former MPAA raters Jay Landers and Stephen Farber, author Dotty Hamilton (Hollywood’s Silent Partner), actor Maria Bello (The Cooler), Mark Veman (of Thinkfilm), director Allison Anders (Gas, Food, Lodging), director Mary Harron (American Psycho), director Jamie Babbit (But I’m a Cheerleader), director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream), Dr. Theresa Webb (of Southern California Injury Prevention Research, UCLA), director Michael Tucker (Gunner Palace), author David L. Robb (Operation Hollywood), copyright attorney/author Lawrence Lessig, director Atom Egoyan (Where the Truth Lies), appeals board member Michael McClellan, and appeals board clergy member James Wall. 

Kirby Dick has made a fascinating film for the cinema-phile as well as the rest of the population. 

The MPAA makes itself the perfect foil for such a documentary since it lurks in secrecy and has the power to ruin a filmmaker’s vision without having to give an accounting for its reasons.  Dick brings these practices out into the open and makes the MPAA look very bad indeed.  What is most interesting is that part of his plan is to submit the very documentary that he’s working on to them to be rated.  You can imagine their faces when they screened that film! 

This Film is Not Yet Rated is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  Special features include a commentary by director Kirby Dick, producer Eddie Schmidt, film critic Drew McWeeny, and private investigator Becky Altringer.  There is also 9 minute from a Q&A with Dick at the 2006 SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas.  There are also 9 minutes of deleted scenes and the theatrical trailer. 

You’ll never look the same way at film rating again after watching Kirby Dick’s expose of the MPAA.  Especially when you see the side-by-side comparisons of several NC-17 rated scenes in comparison with some similar R rated fare.  A completely fascinating documentary, though be advised that it does contain some stuff that the kiddies shouldn’t see.  Parental rating is advised. 

John Waters

This Film is Not Yet Rated is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for an April 9th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.