Every movie that is released requires a “rating,” essentially stating the appropriate age of the movie for someone to watch. Ratings proceed as the following:

• G – General audiences – appropriate for all ages
• PG – Parental Guidance suggested – some content may not be suitable for all ages
• PG-13 – Parents strongly cautioned – some content might be inappropriate for children under 13
• R – Restricted – under 17 requires parental supervision 
• NC-17 – No one 17 and under is admitted – adults only

These ratings are made to fit the overall content of the movie, however, many movies have been released that have a rating that is either not harsh enough, or too harsh. Let’s look at five movies that were released with the wrong rating:

• Titanic – Starting off with my favorite movie of all time, James Cameron’s Titanic, released in 1997, received a rating of PG-13. There was backlash as many parents thought the movie should receive an R rating due to the famous nude scene where Jack draws Rose. Eventually, it received its R rating.
• Insidious – Receiving a PG-13 rating in 2010, many felt this was unfit due to the movie’s mature themes and horror content present. Despite being argues that the rating was too “lenient,” it remains at PG-13.
• Toy Story 3 – An extremely popular animated pixar movie, received a rating of G in 2010. Parents had their very young children watch it and argued that there were certain mature themes and content that were upsetting for their very young children. There was a push for the PG rating, however it fell through.
• Stand By Me – This movie is a coming of age story released in 1986 about 4 boys in Oregon and a short, but defining period in their young lives. Despite some mature themes, overall, there is no inappropriate content for children in their teenage years, thus the R rating it was given was deemed “too harsh.” The R rating is still the current rating for this movie.
• The Matrix – Released in 1999, this popular franchise received an R rating, which many deemed too harsh. With the action and special effects present, it was thought that PG-13 would be an appropriate rating. However, it still has an R rating.

What do you think about these MPAA ratings? Are they accurate or not?