For those who wanted an insider’s perspective on the bizarre world of Hollywood ratings negotiations, writer/director Jake Kasdan (Zero Effect, Walk Hard) was happy to oblige with a bit of MPAA-related absurdity at this afternoon’s Writing Comedies: PG-13 vs. R panel at the Driskill Hotel:
“Two ‘fucks,'” he explained, “is the limit for a PG-13 movie. PG movies, obviously, can’t have any ‘fucks’ at all. And three ‘fucks’ is cause for an immediate upgrade from PG-13 to R. But this rule only pertains to ‘fuck’ when it’s being used as an expletive, not as a verb. Even one verbal ‘fuck’ – meaning participation in the sex act – will earn your film an R rating, no questions asked.”
This article appears in October 17 • 2008.