Alex Sofranko, Film Response

In the documentary, This Film is Not Yet Rated, there were many issues caused by the assigning of an NC-17 rating by the MPAA for both directors and actors alike. When a film receives an NC-17 it loses its ability to advertise in many places, causing it to lose profit. What was most controversial though was how the MPAA made decisions on what the rating for a film was. They found that when there is heterosexuality in a film, it is likely to receive a lower rating than if a film contained homosexuality. I personally agree with the points that were made in the documentary. The board’s decision to rate certain films as NC-17 rather than R is entirely unfair. Since the members of the board do not view homosexuality the same as some people, they feel turned off and are much more likely to give a film an NC-17 rating. There is a terrible lack of representation on the board of homosexuals as well as people with under aged children. The MPAA claims to be comprised of average every day parents but the truth is the board is formed by only a portion of what are considered to be average people today. If there were a greater representation of normal citizens such as younger parents and homosexual parents, films would have a much better chance of receiving a fair rating and in turn producing the maximum amount of profit possible.