The Motion Picture Association (MPA), formerly known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) (1945-2019) and the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) (1922-1945) is the film rating system in the United States.
Ratings[]
The former logo used from 1922-1946, 1947-1967.
The logo used from 1967-2019.
The current logo used from 2019–present to reflect the global nature of the film, television, and streaming industry.
The current logo was and is in use, starting from 1967. The MPA administers a motion picture rating system used in the United States to rate the suitability of a film's themes and content for certain audiences. The rating system was first introduced on November 1, 1968, and has lived through several changes then. The rating system is completely voluntary, and ratings have no legal standing. Instead, the American film industry enforces the MPA film ratings after they have been assigned, with many previews refusing to exhibit films for six major Hollywood studios.
The ratings currently used by the MPA's voluntary system are:
G (General Audiences - All Ages Admitted)[]
A G-rated motion picture contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture. The G rating is not a "certificate of approval," nor does it signify a "children's" motion picture. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated motion pictures. Depictions of violence are minimal. No nudity, sex scenes or drug use are present in the motion picture.
Examples: The Emperor's New Groove, Cinderella trilogy, Cars trilogy, Toy Story tetralogy, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Peanuts Movie
PG (Parental Guidance Suggested - Some Material May Not Be Suitable for Children)[]
A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the Rating Board, that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children (some sources may usually say 10+), and parents should make that decision. The more mature themes in some PG-rated motion pictures may call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity. But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated motion picture.
Examples: Frozen duology, Outlander, Shrek tetralogy, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, The Greatest Showman, How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, Hotel Transylvania franchise, Zootopia duology, Jaws, A Minecraft Movie
PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned - Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13)[]
A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. The theme of the motion picture by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although depictions of activities related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the motion picture. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence. A motion picture's single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words (primarily the F-word), though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a motion picture PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the motion picture is inconspicuous. Despite all this, the PG-13 rating is still unrestricted, meaning persons of any age may view the film without supervision.
Examples: The Longest Day, The Incredible Hulk, The Hate U Give, The Secret Life of Bees (not to be confused with The Secret Life of Pets, which is rated PG), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, The Avengers tetralogy, Selma, The Great Gatsby (2013 version), Titanic
R (Restricted - Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian)[]
An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures.
Examples: Deadpool trilogy, Scarface, Django Unchained, The Departed, The Revenant, Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, Shutter Island, Cold Pursuit, Wall Street, Quo Vadis, Fatal Attraction, A Wrong Turn series, The Last Duel, The Disaster Artist, The Room, 127 Hours, Kingdom of Heaven, Strays, The Godfather.
NC-17 (Adults Only - No One 17 and Under Admitted)[]
An NC-17 rated motion picture is one that, in the view of the Rating Board, most parents would consider patently too adult for their children 17 and under (in other words suitable for adults only). No children will be admitted. NC-17 does not mean "obscene" or "pornographic" in the common or legal meaning of those words, and should not be construed as a negative judgment in any sense. The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children.
Examples: The Secret Sex Lives of Romeo and Juliet, Henry & June (first film to be rated NC-17), The Evil Dead, Showgirls, A Serbian Film
| MPA | ESRB | TVPG | BBFC | ACB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | E | TV-G / TV-Y / TV-Y7 | U | G |
| PG | E10+ | TV-PG / TV-Y7-FV | PG | PG |
| PG-13 | T | TV-14 | 12A/12 | M |
| R | M | TV-MA | 15 | MA15+ |
| NC-17 | AO | n/a | 18 | R18+ |
Notes[]
The MPA does not enforce the age restrictions of the R and NC-17 ratings since it has no power to do so. As a voluntary rating system, they have no legal standing. However, the American film industry requires cinemas to enforce MPA ratings.
Controversies and criticisms[]
The MPA's rating board is generally considered one of the most criticized rating boards of all time, primarily due to its secretive rating process, failure to state specifics, and alleged bias.
- The MPA has been repeatedly accused of homophobia, because of their tendencies to rate films with homosexual sexual activities as NC-17, while treating heterosexual sex lighter, often giving films with the latter an R rating.
- The MPA rarely awards the G rating anymore, instead resorting to awarding the PG rating in situations where a G rating may have been considered appropriate. This practice has been condemned repeatedly, with many people claiming the PG rating is being overused, being awarded to family movies (including those with generally light content), whether animated or live action, even if the content would've warranted a G rating years ago.
- The NC-17 rating, which functions as an 18+ rating, is often seen as the "kiss of death", or a de facto ban among filmmakers, given that films with this rating are not shown in mainstream theaters, and are generally not shown on most streaming services, heavily limiting a film's audience and potentially hurting a film's performance and overall public image. The ESRB's AO rating has garnered a similar reputation.
- The MPA has been criticized by the fact that using more than one use of "f**k" without reasonable context is enough to push a film to the R rating, with many complaining that there is a gap between the PG-13 and R ratings. Ironically, many children and adolescents nowadays ironically use the expletive daily, meaning that making a film rated R purely based on language is unnecessary.
- Some people criticized the MPA's decision to rate The King's Speech R due to language, even though there is reasonable context, since giving the movie the R rating gives it the same rating as far more mature movies like Saw or Final Destination, both of which are known for their incredibly violent nature. The BBFC on the other hand gave the movie a 12A/12 rating due to "strong language in a speech therapy context".
- Many critics of the system (including Americans) have panned the MPA's rating system itself for how films are rated, its refusal to adapt to the modern media environment, and its overall structure.
- The MPA rarely shares specific details on how a film is analyzed and reviewed. This practice has primarily been criticized by filmmakers, who often try to get specifics on a film classification's process, and how a rating board takes a film's content into consideration. Although, recent efforts have shown that the MPA is starting to reveal more about its classification process.
- Critics often pinpoint most of the system's problems to the rating system's structure, which has seen little-to-no updates over the course of time, with most updates only being slight changes such as name changes to certain ratings, while the overall structure remained mostly the same. Given how the media landscape is much more diverse than it was during its inception, many critics claim that the MPA still continues to use an outdated system with values and ideas that are out of touch with the modern world.
- Unlike other rating boards that have expanded to implement more ratings over time as films and television series became more diverse in issues they presented, the MPA has only introduced one additional rating, PG-13, after complaints that some films were too strong for the PG rating (many parents assumed that PG was only a simple step up from G). Ever since then, the MPA has not introduced any more ratings, despite numerous ongoing complaints about the system's numerous rating gaps, primarily that of the gap between PG-13 and R.
- The MPA has always be shown to put heavy emphasis on the rating itself, pushing the idea of content descriptors aside. Despite the fact that since 2013, more emphasis has been put on content descriptors, such as through the "Check the Box" campaign, which encouraged viewers to read a film's content descriptors, many people still believe that not enough emphasis is being put on content descriptors. This, along with the MPA's often-broad ratings, have generally given the MPA's rating system a bad name in cinema.
History[]
Out of these, G and R are the only two ratings to survive since the system's debut. The other was changed from its debut until now. The following applies:
- M (1968-1970)
- GP (1970-1972)
- X (1968-1990)
The PG-13 rating was added in 1984, officially putting former words on PG to PG-13, and now PG changed its wording.
The original ratings each had an analogue from the Production Code's last years. They are as follows:
- G: Approved
- M: Suggested for Mature Audiences
- R: Special Exception
- X: Rejected
NR[]
However, there are some movies that haven't been officially rated by the MPA, hence "NR" for "Not Rated"; however, this usually occurs if the movie has not made its debut in the theaters or if the uncut version is released. The ratings are below: Please keep in mind that the NR rating means that the upcoming movie has not yet been reviewed by the MPA, later they will give the films its final rating. Equivalent to RP for video games. This also applies to TV shows.
Gallery[]
| Motion Picture Association film rating system |
|---|
     Formerly used ratings: M | GP | X |