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Ever wonder why different movies get different ratings for practically the exact same amount of cursing and or sexy-time action? Like, how many f-bombs does it really take to go from a PG-13 to an R? While these decisions may seem super arbitrary, the MPAA actually plays by a super strict code when it comes to doling out ratings–and they’re even strict about the way they fudge the rules, too. And it turns out, filmmakers know exactly how to play the MPAA to get the ratings they want. Through one installment of Slate’s Watch Smarter series, you too can learn all the tricks movie makers pull in order to get the rating they desire.
The MPAA uses six categories to determine a film’s rating: language, violence, sexual content, drug use, thematic content, and (a 21st century addition) smoking. When it comes to language, filmmakers know they can get away with one nonsexual use of the word “fuck” and still score a PG-13. Then how did The Martian get away with using multiple f-words and still land a PG-13? As the video reveals, if you cluster the “fucks” or make them slightly less audible, the MPAA will let more slip by. Similarly, sound editors can tone down the violence and the film’s rating if they don’t opt for squishy blood noises during fight scenes. Remember how Kill Bill switched to black and white just as Uma Thurman snatched out an eyeball? That was done to tone down the violence and keep the film from getting an NC-17!
Things get more subjective when it comes to sex, though, as it’s harder to predict how the MPAA will rule (they tend to think that homosexual sex is more adult than heterosexual sex, which is pretty problematic). That’s why directors shoot alternate takes, just in case the MPAA says they lingered too long on an o-face. Alternate angles are also used in drug use scenes, because the MPAA doesn’t want people learning how to use hard drugs!
You can learn even more about the weird ways filmmakers skirt the rules and manipulate the MPAA’s preferences in the video above, and now you might be less surprised when a PG-13 comedy gets away with a bunch of grumbled f-words.
