# why is Frost/Nixon R rated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 7, 2008, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118 "2008-12-07T11:48:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/1 "2008-12-07T11:48:10Z")
Saw the trailer on tv this evening and was surprised to see it’s R-rated. why? no one got killed in the Watergate matter, so no violence; sex was never an issue; is it just the language? ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/2 "2008-12-07T13:10:18Z")
Most likely language. Nixon was not known to use the most polished language when cameras were not on him. ---
**Author:** ![bonzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@bonzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bonzer)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/3 "2008-12-07T13:18:41Z")
According to the [MPAA’s own site](http://www.mpaa.org/FilmRatings.asp), it’s “Rated R for some language”. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/4 "2008-12-07T13:55:48Z")
Never heard the phrase “expletive deleted”? Nixon was not exactly a couth person. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/5 "2008-12-07T13:56:58Z")
> [@bonzer](#): > > According to the [MPAA’s own site](http://www.mpaa.org/FilmRatings.asp), it’s “Rated R for some language”. Leaving off the implied “and so that people will identify it as a serious film.” I’d bet on it being a situation where they threw in one gratuitous “fuck” to insure the R rating. It’s relatively common with dramas. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/6 "2008-12-07T14:06:08Z")
Gawd… just _imagining_ Nixon having sex… there is not enouth mind bleach in the world to scrub that from my brain. [insert]puking smilie[/insert] ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/7 "2008-12-07T14:12:59Z")
interesting - didn’t know a film could be R just for its language. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/8 "2008-12-07T14:16:46Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > Leaving off the implied “and so that people will identify it as a serious film.” > > I’d bet on it being a situation where they threw in one gratuitous “fuck” to insure the R rating. It’s relatively common with dramas. Someone who can possibly be this young as to not remember Nixon and his language makes me feel even older and creakier than usual. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/9 "2008-12-07T14:34:53Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > Leaving off the implied “and so that people will identify it as a serious film.” > > I’d bet on it being a situation where they threw in one gratuitous “fuck” to insure the R rating. It’s relatively common with dramas. You’d lose that bet. I can smell the gravitas from here, and if it hadn’t snowed last night, I would have seen it. I’ve read some of the Watergate transcripts and heard the tapes. If there was gratuitous swearing, and Lord knows there was, it came right from Richard Nixon’s mouth. He had been a naval officer and confirmed the simile “to swear like a sailor.” If anything, the makers of the film probably toned it down a bit to avoid an NC-17 rating. Robin ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/10 "2008-12-07T14:35:21Z")
The guys nickname was “tricky dick” and you can’t see that getting an R rating ? 🙂 bow chicka chicka chicka bow bow ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/11 "2008-12-07T14:47:08Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Gawd… just _imagining_ Nixon having sex… there is not enouth mind bleach in the world to scrub that from my brain. [insert]puking smilie[/insert] Well, you know the Watergate informant’s use of the name Deep Throat was a sardonic reference to Nixon’s fascination with the movie. In fact, the story goes that Nixon had held a private screening of _Deep Throat_ in the White House and wanted to try the technique himself, but he couldn’t get it down Pat. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/12 "2008-12-07T15:07:45Z")
Kissinger/Nixon shower scene. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/13 "2008-12-07T15:54:52Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > interesting - didn’t know a film could be R just for its language. IIRC as far back as _The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3_ (1974) was rated R for the language. ---
**Author:** ![greatshakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@greatshakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greatshakes)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/14 "2008-12-07T16:18:32Z")
Because, even if you hated Nixon’s guts big time, and can make even the most amazing stretches in suspending disbelief, the concept that the actor in the movie even looks like Nixon is obscene. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/15 "2008-12-07T16:18:33Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Well, you know the Watergate informant’s use of the name Deep Throat was a sardonic reference to Nixon’s fascination with the movie. In fact, the story goes that Nixon had held a private screening of _Deep Throat_ in the White House and wanted to try the technique himself, but he couldn’t get it down Pat. Okay that was so fucking wrong… 😃 Or should I say :o ? ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/16 "2008-12-07T16:20:12Z")
> [@greatshakes](#): > > Because, even if you hated Nixon’s guts big time, and can make even the most amazing stretches in suspending disbelief, the concept that the actor in the movie even looks like Nixon is obscene. Of course he doesn’t- so what? It’s about an actor finding the essence of a man, not building a muppet head and making it talk. Frank Langella received rave reviews of his Nixon while doing it on Broadway 8 times a week- he’s probably great in the film too. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/17 "2008-12-07T16:30:31Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > Leaving off the implied “and so that people will identify it as a serious film.” > > I’d bet on it being a situation where they threw in one gratuitous “fuck” to insure the R rating. It’s relatively common with dramas. The MPAA _allows_ one use of the word “fuck” in a non-sexual context in PG-13 movies, thus enabling Christian Slater to be able to say, “Fuck me! He cleared it!” in the otherwise horrible _Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves_. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/18 "2008-12-07T18:41:45Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > I’ve read some of the Watergate transcripts and heard the tapes. If there was gratuitous swearing, and Lord knows there was, it came right from Richard Nixon’s mouth. He had been a naval officer and confirmed the simile “to swear like a sailor.” If anything, the makers of the film probably toned it down a bit to avoid an NC-17 rating. Has a film ever been rated X/NC-17 solely for foul language? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/19 "2008-12-07T18:47:52Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Has a film ever been rated X/NC-17 solely for foul language? [Clerks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerks) was originally rated NC-17 for language, but was lowered to NC-17 on appeal. (A rarity that Smith has now done twice! But “Zack and Miri..” has other stuff. Like Jason Mewes raw.) ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118/20 "2008-12-07T19:03:13Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > [Clerks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerks) was originally rated NC-17 for language, but was lowered to NC-17 on appeal. (A rarity that Smith has now done twice! But “Zack and Miri..” has other stuff. Like Jason Mewes raw.) That’s an impressively successful appeal. Did it go from ‘NC-17 and we’re checking IDs’ to ‘NC-17 and as long as you look like you might maybe be 17 we’re letting you in’ ? 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-frost-nixon-r-rated/476118.md?page=2)