You may be surprised to learn those ubiquitous ratings, from G to NC-17, put on movies in America are actually handed down by anonymous employees of a secretive organization that serves as a lobbying firm for Hollywood's six biggest studios.
AI Summary
# Summary
In this episode, Josh and Chuck dive deep into the often-controversial world of movie ratings and the Motion Picture Association of America, exploring how the MPAA's secretive rating system works and why it's become such a hot-button issue in Hollywood. They trace the history from the old Hayes Code of the 1930s through the creation of the PG-13 rating (thanks to Steven Spielberg after movies like *Indiana Jones* and *Gremlins* caused a stir) to today's system, revealing along the way how anonymous raters behind closed doors decide what Americans should see. The guys break down the clear biases in the system—particularly how violence gets a pass while sexuality and language face much stricter scrutiny, and how LGBTQ+ content and films featuring female sexual agency are disproportionately hit with harsh ratings—while also examining the MPAA's dual role as both moral gatekeepers and profit-protecting lobbyists for major studios.
Afternoon Delight
2013
1h 35m
★ 5.8
"There was something called Afternoon Delight, which was a movie about a woman who hires a gigolo. — Film about female sexual pleasure that received R rating despite director cutting content."
— Josh
Blue Is the Warmest Color
2013
3h 0m
★ 7.1
"Blue is the warmest color. Yeah, last year, that teenage lesbian love story. NC17. — French lesbian film that received NC-17 rating, example of homophobic MPAA bias."
— Josh
"Apparently, if you want to show Frozen at your church, you better have a public performance license. — Example used to illustrate MPAA licensing requirements for public screenings."
— Josh
Gremlins
1984
1h 46m
★ 7.1
"And he produced another, Gremlins. — Referenced as the second 1984 Spielberg production that led to PG-13 rating creation due to frightening content."
— Chuck
Happiness
1998
2h 20m
★ 7.4
"Happiness, Todd Solans, one of my favorite movies of all time. They tried to give it an NC17 rating. — Film director rejected NC-17 rating and released movie unrated rather than cutting content."
— Josh
Henry & June
1990
2h 16m
★ 6.0
"And NC17, the first movie to come out with that was Henry in June. — First film released with NC-17 rating, which sank commercially due to confusion with X rating."
— Chuck
Hostel: Part II
2007
1h 33m
★ 5.9
"And they have 15 movies listed and basically talk about their ratings. Like the first one they talk about once. — Described as torture porn with same R rating as innocent romance film."
— Josh
Longtime Companion
1989
1h 39m
★ 6.7
"Or if you're looking at some serious homophobia, the great 1989 movie, Longtime Companion. — Gay couple film that received NC-17 despite no explicit sexual content, example of homophobic rating."
— Josh
"A movie like Filomena, which you saw, was rated R. Yeah, it was about a lady looking for a long lost son. — Example of R-rated film that became PG-13 after removing profanity."
— Josh
"Rudy. — Referenced in context of Sean Astin's anti-piracy PSA campaign."
— Chuck
Rushmore
1998
1h 33m
★ 7.4
"Rushmore rated R for the scene at the end, whether Max is putting on the play, the Vietnam play. — Example of film receiving R rating for children seeing Playboy centerfolds on set."
— Josh
"If you've seen Seinfeld, someone went and sat in that theater with a camera recorder. — Referenced joke about someone using camcorder to record movies in theaters."
— Chuck
Some Like It Hot
1959
2h 3m
★ 8.1
"Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon are dressed like women hitting on Marilyn Monroe. — Referenced as evidence Hayes Code was dead by late 1950s due to sexual innuendo."
— Chuck
The Man with the Golden Arm
1955
1h 59m
★ 7.2
"Got an Oscar nomination for playing a heroin addict. And the man with a golden arm. — Example of 1950s film that broke Hayes Code by depicting drug use in serious context."
— Josh
The Wolf of Wall Street
2013
3h 0m
★ 8.0
"And the director said, what the hey, after Wolf of Wall Street came out. Like, have you seen this movie? — R-rated film with graphic sex scenes used as comparison for inconsistent rating standards."
— Josh
True Detective
2014
★ 8.3
"Yeah, go watch True Detective. Maybe you'll sign up for HBO because you liked it. — Referenced as HBO show that viewers might sign up for after watching illegally."
— Josh
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