Movie Ratings Don’t Help Parents Decide What’s Acceptable

Tuesday, 18 January 2011 | by Pat's Picks

The Motion Picture Association of America has gotten lots of flack recently for its outmoded rating system. This morning, there’s an interesting perspective in the Sacramento Bee, written by a mom who says because of the MPAA’s confusing decisions, it’s hard to find a good movie for the whole family. She says “The King’s Speech” is a case in point. Although the film has a healthy dose of profanity, it is “used purposefully” throughout the film. But despite its potential as a good choice for family movie night, it received the same MPAA rating—an R—as movies like “Saw” and “Hostel.”