Yippee-ki-yay and so forth
Speaking of “Live Free or Die Hard,” someone named “Pumpkin” posted a comment on my review of it wondering if, given the PG-13 rating, that meant Bruce Willis didn’t get to say his famous line, “Yippee-ki-yay, mother******.”
“BeeDub” responded, accurately, that Willis does say it, but there’s a gunshot over the crucial syllable.
Meanwhile, “Turkey” said: “I thought you had to drop three F-bombs to deserve an R, depending on the context. Or is MF the exception?”
For years and years, the MPAA wouldn’t lay out specific hard-and-fast rules for which elements would get you which ratings, even though it was apparent that they were (somewhat consistently) following some kind of internal system.
They’ve just recently begun to open up, though, and this page has become very useful. The relevant portion says this:
A film’s single use of one of the harsher sexually derived words, though only as an expletive, shall initially require the Rating Board to issue that film at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive must lead the Rating Board to issue a film an R rating, as must even one of these words used in a sexual context. These films can be rated less severely, however, if by a special vote, the Rating Board feels that a lesser rating would more responsibly reflect the opinion of American parents.
In plainer language: You can use the F-bomb once in a PG-13, as long as it’s not being used literally. “Get the eff out of here!” or “That’s not my effing platypus!” would be permissible. If you use it more than once, you get an R rating unless the board holds a “special vote” — which they must be doing quite regularly, since about half the PG-13 films I see have two F-words in them.
However! If you use the F-word in its literal, sexual sense — even just once — you get an R. That’s why they had to put the gunshot over John McClane’s “mofo” line. Even though “mother——” is understood to be merely an expression, not a literal description of someone’s activities, the MPAA nonetheless considers it to be a sexual use of the F-word.
To the best of my recollection, there are no exceptions to that rule. Can anyone think of a PG-13 movie that used the F-word literally/sexually?
My beloved “Waitress” had a run-in with this rule. As the movie appears in theaters, there’s a scene where a very worn-out mother says to the pregnant protagonist, “Nobody ever tells you how ridiculously hard it is.” But when the movie played at Sundance, she said, “Nobody ever tells you how mother—-ing hard it is.” It got a huge laugh, in part because in context it’s a funny line however it’s phrased, but also because there hadn’t been any significant profanity in the movie up to that point, and now all of a sudden a mom was dropping that word like a bomb. The film has a very non-sentimental view of motherhood, and that line was a perfect example of it.
But of course that line alone would get the film an R rating, which it didn’t otherwise deserve. The director, the late Adrienne Shelly, must have foreseen the potential problem, because she apparently filmed the scene both ways, thus allowing the studio to replace the offending shot when the time came. (I assume Shelly filmed it both ways. The other possibility is that Fox Searchlight brought the actress in later to re-do that one shot, but that doesn’t seem very likely. They definitely didn’t just dub over the word, because the actress’ mouth clearly matches what she’s saying.)
One interesting thing I’ve noticed is that movies either use the F-word once or twice … or they use it a dozen times. It’s rare to see a film that uses it in that gray area of three or four times. I guess the reasoning is that filmmakers (or their studio executives, more likely) want to know in advance what the rating is going to be, so they record the dialogue accordingly. If they want a PG-13, they’re not going to tempt fate by trying to squeeze in more than two F-bombs. If they want an R, they want to make sure the ratings board knows that’s what they’re expecting. When the MPAA rates a movie, they’re too busy looking for pubic hairs and ignoring grotesque violence to be counting F-words. Better to make that part of it easy on them.
July 13th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
I saw “Away From Her,” a film that was rated PG-13 despite having four F-words, though none of them in a sexual context. It was the most I’d ever heard in a PG-13. And what’s really interesting is that I didn’t hear ANY other profanity — not the Lord’s name in vain, not anything!
July 13th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
“That’s not my effing platypus!”
Man, if I had a nickel…
July 13th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Didn’t “My Best Friend’s Wedding” use it in a literal, sexual context and still get a PG-13?
July 13th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I remember three f-bombs in “As Good as it Gets.”
July 13th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Matt is right. And there was very little swearing in it, otherwise.
July 13th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
I think there was supposed to be a literal use in “The Illusionist,” but they dubbed it to “fornicating.” At least in the version I saw, anyway. Eric’s review says there’s an F-bomb, which, if true, would make for a PG-13 movie that used the word in its literal sense.
July 13th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Very interesting, Bridget! I saw “The Illusionist” at Sundance, and ScreenIt.com confirms that the film was slightly edited for its theatrical release, just like “Waitress.” I guess I should change that part of my review, then….
July 13th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
There’s a very good Scottish film by Ken Loach called Sweet Sixteen which got an 18 certificate in the UK and an R in America for having a couple hundred uses of the F-word and other profanies (C-word, etc.). It also ran with subtitles in the US due to the strong accents.
July 13th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
One of the best uses ever of the f-word is at the end of The Ring II: “I’m not your effing MOMMY!” And then, of course, Samuel L. Jackson in 1408.
And that word actually bothers me a whole lot less than taking the Lord’s name in vain, which doesn’t seem to matter much to the ratings guys.
July 13th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
The 1988 movie “Big” with Tom Hanks was rated PG, yet used the F-word one time, and had a undressing scene (no nudity, but still..). I was wondering how in the world this happened, as I have never seen this in any other rated PG movie.
July 13th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
I think the best usage of the F-word is in Boondock Saints.
July 13th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
I think the movie Big came out before the MPAA made a PG-13 rating. On Golden Pond should have been PG-13 by today’s standards, but also came out before there was such a rating, and there are several other movies in the same boat.
July 13th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
“And that word actually bothers me a whole lot less than taking the Lord’s name in vain, which doesn’t seem to matter much to the ratings guys. ”
Yes! Momma Snider, I know exactly what you mean! I would rather hear the f-bomb in all it’s varied conjugations anyday than hear the Lord’s name so casually tossed about, or the worst, juxtaposed on either side of a swear word. It’s really hard at work, where I flinch at most unnecessary references to Deity but really wouldn’t care so much about the other. (Actually I probably would care if I heard it a tenth as much as I do all the “OMG” but I work with a lot of women and hardcore swearing is rare). Most of them think it’s hypocritical that I consider taking the Lord’s name in vain to be a mortal sin yet giggle at the OCCASIONAL well-placed adjective/adverb/multi-purpose f-word. Well, boo-frickity-hoo to them. I am so glad to hear I am not alone.
July 13th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Actually Pumpkin, the PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984. However, this wikipedia article seemed to clear up my questions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PG-13#The_addition_of_the_PG-13_rating
It also mentioned Spaceballs (also rated PG), which I have since remembered did have an F-word in it near the end.
July 13th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
I’m glad the ratings board gives some clear guidelines. I hate for a director not to be able to use all the F-words he/she intended. Many’s the time I’ve exited a theater saying, “That was an OK film, but it would’ve gone beyond OK to sublime if only it’d had more F-words in it.”
July 13th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
I’ve always found it interesting that when a character on TV uses the GD phrase, one or the other of those two words is bleeped out, yet taken separately, both are fine. I’m glad they do, but I still think it’s a bit odd.
July 13th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
The MPAA is often harsher on teen-targeted fare that happens to be PG-13, versus the more mature likes of About A Boy, As Good As It Gets, etc., that do contain multiple f-bombs but are much less like to taint your youth with their foul, foul profanity.
July 13th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Yes. Beetlejuice.
July 13th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
…According to Wikipedia, that is, and it was PG! (I haven’t seen it.)
And what Momma Snider said about the best usage being in “The Ring II” and “1408″: I couldn’t agree more. I also find it oddly humorous of a scene in “Blue Velvet” where a criminal holds up a wine glass and very urbanely toasts, “All right Frankie. To your [F-bomb].”
July 14th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
William Goss, I think teen stuff gets through more. For example, consider the Austin Powers movies.
Kids movies often get a rating adjustment too. For example, Ratatouille should have been PG. I loved it, but one of my kids was really disturbed at the scene at the pest control shop.
July 14th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Doesn’t The Bridges of Madison County use the f-word in the literal sense? It’s not rated R.
July 14th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
A Bridge Too Far uses one f-word and was originally rated R. But many years later it was lowered to a PG on appeal; I don’t remember a lot of other swearing in the movie, just lots of shooting and people getting killed.
July 15th, 2007 at 2:25 am
Not that “Be Cool” is the best or most accurate source, but they claim you can only use on F-word in a PG-13 movie. In fact, Eric pointed that out! (http://www.ericdsnider.com/movies/be-cool/)
Chili points out that you only get one F-word in a PG-13 movie, then immediately uses his one; hardy-har-har.
July 15th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Very funny stuff Eric and William Gross. I hate how some movies that should be R go soft to get that pg-13 rating. There are very few dark comedies anymore.
July 15th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
I also forgot to say that a lot of music artists that I listen to that used to have bad language (occasionally) in theri songs, have completely eliminated it from their albums. A lot of them don’t even put out 2 versions anymore. I think it has to do with stores like walmart being so big (where they only sell clean albums).
July 16th, 2007 at 8:06 am
Sorry, Rob, but I’m legally obligated to point this out: G-O-S-S. No ‘r’.
July 16th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Sorry Goss, I’ve been misreading things lately. I must be getting old………
July 17th, 2007 at 1:20 am
I wonder how the mpaa handles the written F-bomb as opposed to the audible version. Whats that Hugh Grant/Julia Roberts movie where the gross funny brit flat-mate has the shirt that says “Fancy a F%@$” on the back..? Kinda makes me wanna see a movie with imaculate vocabulary, yet f-bombs written all over the background in every scene, just to see what they’d do. I’ve known 5 year olds that could read pretty well tho….hmmmm
July 17th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
“Notting Hill?”
July 17th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
“Kinda makes me wanna see a movie with imaculate vocabulary, yet f-bombs written all over the background in every scene, just to see what they’d do.”
Yes. That would be AWESOME.
The closest thing to that I’ve ever seen in a movie that I can remember right now isn’t very close, but nearing the end of Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” there’s a brief interview with a gun nut who’s wearing a hat that very blatantly says “F*** Everybody”. No attention is ever pointed toward the hat for the entire scene… I still randomly burst out laughing from seeing that hat from time to time.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:05 am
One of the major sports networks got in trouble a while back for showing footage of a fan with a T-Shirt reading “F*** the Eagles.” If I’m not mistaken the fan was the wife of one of the players; I’m assuming the player was not an Eagle.
July 26th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
It would seem that even with the added clarification the guidelines are still confusing and that arbitrary deviations are often made. I was listening to the writer’s commentary for Frequency (one of my favorite movies) and Toby Emmerich stated that he had initially planned for the PG-13 film to contain one F-word in the final, climactic scene. The antagonist has grabbed a child, the protagonist’s son, and is using him to try and prevent the kid’s father from firing his shotgun. He is supposed to assert, “I’ll snap his f***ing neck!” That should be one use of the f-word allowed as an expletive. However, the mpaa thought it was too disturbing, I suppose, in the context of threatening harm to a child. So he had to edit the line in order to avoid an R rating. It does seem a bit less weighty in its current form.