What kind of person would think to count the number of thrusts in a sex scene? None other than the commanding minds of the MPAA ratings board, an anonymous panel paid to protect us from too many F-bombs, nipple slips, and pubic peeks—in other words, utter moral anarchy. In This Film is Not Yet Rated, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick brings some overdue accountability to the MPAA's kangaroo court, whose snap judgments can make or break a director's career, all in the name of God and the American child.
Turning the film medium against its supposed custodians, Dick contends that the MPAA—shockingly!—savages indies while going easy on the big studios that pay its bills; that former MPAA guru Jack Valenti was simply a lapdog for Big Hollywood; and that for all its vaginal vigilance, the MPAA turns a blind eye to extreme violence.
For those counting thrusts at home: Sideways—Thomas Haden Church and Sandra Oh in the motel, three; Unfaithful—Olivier Martinez and Diane Lane in the café bathroom, four; Storytelling—Robert Wisdom and Selma Blair against the bedroom wall, 45.
