# Is the " G " (US) rated movie an endangered or extinct species? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-g-us-rated-movie-an-endangered-or-extinct-species/777576 "2017-01-19T21:48:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-g-us-rated-movie-an-endangered-or-extinct-species/777576/41 "2017-01-21T15:06:48Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Right, the new ratings: > > G-for babies > PG–very, very minor adult themes. Stuff you would hear in grade school history class. > PG-13–for general audiences, but not too much profanity and no more violence than what would be on network TV. > R-anything else. > > The scale has skewed so far down (hell, the movie Airplane! was PG and it showed bare breasts!) as to really be only two meaningful ratings: PG-13 and R. That about sums it up. Though in terms of things like _Airplane!_ showing gratuitous titties as a sight gag in and of itself, I think that was one of the precipitating reasons for creating the PG-13 rating in the first place, around 1982 or 1983: there were movies that studios wanted to distinguish from “Rated R”, yet which parents were upset about having “those one or two sexually suggestive/explicit scenes we didn’t appreciate our younger kids seeing”. I remember going to see the movie _Red Dawn_ in theaters specifically because it was the very first “Rated PG-13” movie ever. I happened to turn 13 just before it came out, so I could go on my own (with my friends), and was hoping for some sexually suggestive/explicit stuff. I’d have settled for a gratuitous titty sight gag, really. What I got was a story about survivalists saving America from parachuting Russkies. What the hell? To your point, that very sentiment - “I’d like this rating bumped up a notch because there were these one or two scenes we didn’t appreciate our younger kids seeing” - has shifted basis in the past 15 years. Not only are parents somewhat more protective of their kids’ emotional fragility these days, far more young kids (under age 10) see movies at home than by going to a movie theater. So where it used to be that you’d assume a G rating for “General Audience” meant “people bringing their minimum well behaved 6-8 year olds to a movie, because who the heck would pay to bring a 3 year old with a 20 minute attention span into a dark theater”, now it means “can I put this on the TV for my 3 year old to keep him/her occupied while I work on my laptop and not have the child get upset or warped?” And while the VCR began the era of home video watching, I’d say the ability of very young kids to watch Netflix on a tablet is also a factor. You can install “rating filters” on devices for kids still too young to figure out how to bypass them, but that’s a pretty young age these days, so “G” and “PG” really have to mean G = 3 year olds and PG = 8 year olds. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2017, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-g-us-rated-movie-an-endangered-or-extinct-species/777576/42 "2017-01-22T22:35:48Z")
Got back from a showing of **Moana** , and noticed that the upcoming “DisneyNature” film **Born in China** is rated a conspicuous “G”. > **[Born in China (2016) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4629266/)** > > Born in China: Directed by Chuan Lu. With John Krasinski, Claire Keim, Xun Zhou. Venturing into the wilds of China, "Born in China" captures intimate moments with a panda and her growing cub, a young golden monkey who feels displaced by his baby... > **[Disneynature's Born In China Trailer](https://video.disney.com/watch/disneynature-s-born-in-china-trailer-51454b5cddf1161930c3a4aa)** > > The trailer for the next Disneynature film is here. Watch the brand new trailer for Born In China. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-g-us-rated-movie-an-endangered-or-extinct-species/777576/43 "2017-01-23T13:34:33Z")
I’m so old, I remember when “Clockwork Orange” was rated X and “2001” was rated G. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-g-us-rated-movie-an-endangered-or-extinct-species/777576/44 "2017-01-23T14:23:16Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > I remember an interview with John Waters at the time “Hairspray” was released. He claimed to be disappointed to have gotten a PG. He said he had been hoping for a G, as he thought a John Waters-directed G movie was the most subversive thing he could think of. The first I ever heard of the 1999 David Lynch film _The Straight Story_ was a radio advertisement while I was in a cab. I wasn’t paying much attention to the ad, but was aware enough to realize it was an ad for an upcoming movie. At the end of the ad the voiceover reads “Directed by David Lynch. Rated G.” My ears nearly expanded 200% in diameter and my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. I immediately said to myself “I have _got to_ see this movie!!!” just to find out what a David Lynch Rated G movie would be like. Spoiler Alert: It’s a great movie. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-g-us-rated-movie-an-endangered-or-extinct-species/777576/45 "2017-01-23T15:38:52Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > TThough in terms of things like _Airplane!_ showing gratuitous titties as a sight gag in and of itself, I think that was one of the precipitating reasons for creating the PG-13 rating in the first place, around 1982 or 1983: there were movies that studios wanted to distinguish from “Rated R”, yet which parents were upset about having “those one or two sexually suggestive/explicit scenes we didn’t appreciate our younger kids seeing”. ISTR that PG-13 was created more to address issues of violent content in movies than nudity; the PG-rated film which is generally pointed to as a catalyst for it was “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” > **[Motion Picture Association film rating system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_Picture_Association_of_America_film_rating_system#Addition_of_PG-13_rating)** > > The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures are the responsibility of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), previously known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 1945 to 2019. The MPA rating system is a voluntary scheme that is not enforced by law; films can be exhibited wit... ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-g-us-rated-movie-an-endangered-or-extinct-species/777576/46 "2017-01-24T00:33:58Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **The Eagle Huntress** , released four days before **the Peanuts Movie** , is also rated G. _The Eagle Huntress_ is a documentary about a young Mongolian girl who learns to hunt with a golden eagle. I’m a little surprised that it is rated G simply because of the scenes of the eagle ripping a fox apart. But G has been the kiss of death for a lot of great movies like Carroll Ballard’s _[Never Cry Wolf](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086005/)_, which featured a scene of a naked Charlie Martin Smith. One of my favorite films, [Topsy-Turvy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151568/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1), had an incredibly gratuitous nude scene and f-bomb just to get an R - apparently thinking it was necessary to be seen as a “serious” movie. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-g-us-rated-movie-an-endangered-or-extinct-species/777576/47 "2017-01-24T00:42:11Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Question for you or anyone else who has seen the movie: What does its “rude humor” consist of? Things like fart jokes? OK, [here is the thumbnail review from Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/sing), which is explicitly about rating and reviewing movies regarding their child-friendliness and which _isn’t_ either the MPAA or some gonzo Jesus Freak outfit: > [@](#): > > Parents need to know that Sing is an animated comedy (with tons of music/singing) from the producers of the Despicable Me films. It centers around a theater-owning koala (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) who decides to run a talent contest to boost ticket sales for his financially flagging theater. The A-list voice cast, reality talent show premise, familiar pop songs, and cute animal characters make this an appealing pick for families with young kids. But note that there’s some peril/danger: Angry gangster bears try to kill a cheating mouse, a gorilla thief is mean to his son, and a building collapses spectacularly, putting many key characters in danger. There are also slapstick laughs, silly jokes, **risque moments (from bunny singers waggling their bottoms while they sing “oh my gosh, look at her butt!” to a pig husband passionately kissing his wife after she performs in a sexy costume), and insult language (“stupid,” “porky,” etc.).** And while the movie clearly promotes trying hard, being brave, working together, and following your dreams, it also has some stereotypes and mixed messages about lying, parent-child relationships, and the value of motherhood/homemaking. The bolded part is the rude humor (or, well, rude humor and romance between a husband and wife) and, as I said, the rudest part is part of a song that’s on the radio. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-g-us-rated-movie-an-endangered-or-extinct-species/777576.md?page=2)