From A. O. Scott’s review of the movie “Wendy and Lucy”:
“Wendy and Lucy” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has some swearing, a little drug use and a brief implication of violence, but no nudity, sex or murder. The rating seems to reflect, above all, an impulse to protect children from learning that people are lonely and that life can be hard.
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December 10th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Wow. I didn’t need a movie to tell me that one.
This comment was written by Tapetum.Report this comment to the moderators
December 11th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I love me a smart reviewer. Roger Ebert’s review of Expelled is another good one.
This comment was written by idyllicmollusk.Report this comment to the moderators
December 11th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
My parents protected me as best they could from the fact that life can be hard. It’s why I’m a liberal (and a feminist, and pro-choice, and a bunch of other things considered related).
This comment was written by Hershele Ostropoler.Report this comment to the moderators
December 13th, 2008 at 10:32 am
I can only suspect that Hershele is being ironic.
I have never found the movie ratings system helpful, whether as a moviegoer or as a parent. Reviews, blurbs and a few quick judgments of aesthetics tend to be a better guide.
But to get at A.O. Scott’s point, to “protect” children from such a lesson is no protection at all. I wouldn’t take my 5-year-old to such a movie, because, well, he’d get bored really quick. But there are plenty of teens under the age of 17 who might benefit - or omigoodness, even enjoy! - a movie about people struggling with real problems.
Admittedly, I have problems referring to anyone over 12 as a “child” simply because their lives, minds and bodies are undergoing dramatic changes in maturity, social pressure, and expectations of responsibility. Adults do them no favors treating them as vulnerable as toddlers.
This comment was written by Kevin Moore.Report this comment to the moderators
December 13th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
You know, the movie “Ma Vie en Rose” who won Best Foreign Film of 1998, a Belgium movie about the struggles of a MtF transsexual in a realistic suburban setting. It went R-rated in the US. Said MtF is 7 years old, no mention of surgery or hormones, but apparently, just the topic warranted a R rating.
This comment was written by Schala.Report this comment to the moderators