This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)

An Exercise In Nonsense

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Ever since I saw "Titanic" in 1997 and wondered how in the world it was able to garner a PG-13 rating, I have been intrigued by the official film rating system. I was hoping this little documentary would open my eyes to the overall scheme of ratings, but instead it is such an amateur production as to be almost a complete joke.Basically, a group of three rabble-rousers decide to see if they can crack the secretive facade of the MPAA ratings board. As such, they tail reviewers, dig through trash, and make harassing phone calls in the process. In the end, they are no closer to providing any new information on the matter as they were in the beginning.I can give this doc two stars because it is such a great idea. I mean, there most definitely is some shady activity going on over at MPAA. However, this crackpot "investigative" team just never really had a chance to get the job done. Not only are their sleuthing skills lacking in the end, but the whole film is so one-sided as to be kind of sickening at times. The filmmakers are basically criticizing the ratings system without offering any alternatives or suggestions to improve the system or come up with a better one.Simply put, "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" is purely rabble-rousing for the sake of rabble-rousing. They hit upon an interesting concept, but are completely unable to execute it.

I saw this amusing little documentary after listening to a podcast that explained something about the shady dealings of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and how almost the entire income of the American movie industry depends on their cooperation. I already learned that the MPAA is a very mighty organization, despite the fact that it is a completely voluntary system that movie studios and cinema franchises have universally adopted, and was only designed for classifying movies into categories as a guide to parents.The most entertaining parts of the documentary are the personal experiences of directors who tell about how their movies (initially) received the heaviest rating, the ubiquitously feared NC-17. In practice, this means that no major cinema will show it, no studio will advertise it, and hardly anyone will pay to see it. I am still puzzled by how a protracted sex scene, frontal nudity, homosexual love as well as a female orgasm in film will instantly restrict the movie to audiences of 17 and higher, whereas a violent death or a man being pleasured can be seen by any minor accompanied by an adult. However, if one thing becomes clear, it is that the MPAA is never in a hurry to explain their reasoning and motives.It is gradually revealed that the MPAA was founded by the six biggest movie studios, and as such, they go much easier on their movies than on independently produced films. As the movie went on, I felt myself swinging between amusement and indignation as the double standards of the MPAA are revealed, as well as their untouchable status, since all their dealings occur in strict anonymity. The official stance of the organization itself is to just staunchly defend this system without any logical reasoning or accountability, much the same way in which they rate movies.I am less convinced by the makers' attempts to track down and identify these anonymous MPAA members. All it amounts to is that we learn that most of them don't fit the job description given by the MPAA; by that time, we are already convinced that the MPAA is a non-transparent, corrupted organization with limited capacity for self-regulation. It would have been much more informative if the makers had interviewed these people, or at least documented (failed) attempts at that. I also missed the Michael Moore-style 'search for the root of the problem', where we could get some insight into where this inconsistent morale about sex and violence comes from.In the conclusion, which is a nice example of 'life imitating art', director Kirby Dick submits this movie to the MPAA, and immediately gets an NC-17 for 'sexual content', despite the fact that those scenes are very brief and merely illustrate his point. He is allowed to fight the decision for a board of appeal, but cannot use any scenes of other movies to defend himself, so he looses the appeal. Apparently the MPAA cannot handle a bit of criticism.Filmmaker John Waters aptly describes the conundrum by saying that the MPAA prides itself on not being a censorship organization. But since it has no official 'rulebook' on what movie content is acceptable for a given rating, there really is no other way for directors than to look at examples of others for guidance. Which is not allowed by the members, who always remain anonymous and only answer to the MPAA itself. Weird.

Filmmaker Kirby Dick takes on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). It interviews filmmakers and film critics. Kirby hires private investigators to find the secretive film raters. He also has a couple of former raters who are willing to talk.This documentary definitely has a point of view. It has some insightful stuff about the MPAA. It's interesting to see how secretive the organization is. The movie is one-side. I can't blame it on Kirby because I doubt MPAA would be any more forthcoming in any case. Kirby takes a bit too much glee in a couple of scenes. There is a Canadian movie from inside a ratings agency called "My Tango with Porn". There are some interesting insights like the clergy and film corporate insiders in the appeals board. Some very interesting filmmakers are sticking their necks out. This is by no means complete. There are some assertions that are a little more precarious.

It's always interesting to see a documentary about movies especially important ones but This Film Is Not Yet Rated isn't as dangerous as it's trying to make itself seem. Although it does have some serious moral implications as Kirby hires a private investigator to find out who are the anonymous members of the MPAA. The investigation is attempted to be presented in a cinematic way with reaction shots and closeups and all the coverage a film should have to be edited together, but its attempt feels contrived and unconvincing due to it being shot on DV. It attempts to be entertainment with caper music and graphics but this just takes away the sincerity. There were times when I struggled to agree with either side of the filmmaker vs. ratings arguments as all it seemed to be was merely a power struggle. However, when it got into the specificity of the details it had some interesting points, such as the implications of sex vs. violence and how sex is accused of hurting society more than violence, particularly homosexual sex. As well as how with guns shooting people with no blood is considered more acceptable than shooting people with blood and how the position of the camera for sex scenes that implicates thrusting is more acceptable than when it shows the trusting. It had a great payoff in the end as its conspiracy is revealed and the intentions behind the documentary are justified but the packaging does hold it back.7/10