The MPAA: What Does It All Mean?

The MPAA: What Does It All Mean?

The M.P.A.A. or Motion Picture Association of America was first established in the 1920s and over the last several decades have been responsible for the film ratings that most movies receive before hitting the big screen.

In the late 1960s, the M.P.A.A. developed four ratings categories for films. These included:

- G for general audiences

- M for mature audiences

- R meaning “restricted”, no one under the age of 17 is permitted without adult supervision

- X meaning adult content, no one under the age of 17 was permitted

Over the course of time, however, the ratings have changed to support different trends in movies. The M rating would be replaced by the GP (for general public) and then by the more familiar PG (for parental guidance suggested) in the 1970s.

In the mid 1980s and early 1990s the M.P.A.A. adopted the PG-13 rating while replacing the distinctive X rating with NC-17.

But what does it all mean?

G is usually associated with family friendly movies. Coarse language and violence are at a minimum and you definitely won’t see sex or drugs in the film.

PG suggests that parents may wish to monitor some of the content in the film as certain parts may be unsuitable for young children. Although sex and/or drug scenes are absent from the film, there could be an increased, put not overpowering, amount of violence and/or harsh language in the movie.

PG-13 is used to caution parents that some of the movie’s content will probably be unsuitable for children under the age of 13. The movie could contain scenes of drug use and/or increased violent situations and coarser language.

R restricts the age of the person buying the movie ticket. A person under the age of 17 (typically) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to see the movie. The movie usually contains an increased amount of adult content which could include severe language, violence, drug use within the film and/or sexual activity.

NC-17 advises that no one under the age of 17 is permitted. While the rating is often thought to mean that a film is pornographic, this is usually not the case. The NC-17 is usually assigned to the films due to their sexual content and/or extreme violence.

Does a movie have to have an M.P.A.A. rating in order to be released? The answer is no. Some movies are released with a NR which means that it has no rating either because of its content or the movie studio simply decided not to submit it to the M.P.A.A.

Can a movie rating be changed? Yes! Over the years a number of movie studios have argued, fought and won against the ratings they were initially given (most of these were usually for an X and later settled for a R rating).

Over the years the M.P.A.A. has come under enormous criticism regarding the way they rate movies. Some believe that certain studios and industry insiders have more clout over the ratings board than smaller, independent film makers. Due to the way that movies are evolving as well as the immerging ways movie fans view films, the ratings system will have to evolve as well.