It seems that the Apatow Films and any of the spinoff family of his films have some core similarities. Potty humour and sexually crude shock jokes. Anyone who has watched these films have been exposed to all sorts of banter that range from bad dating advice all the way to sexual fetish discussions.
Any surprise that a Kevin Smith lead film staring Apatow staples Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks was going to be rated R. How about NC-17?? They are always pushing the envelope, so it’s likely.
The rating was posted on the MPAA film ratings site at least as early as last Saturday, but News Askew noted that it was marked as “pending appeal” and had received the rating for “some graphic sexuality.”
I am not the least bit surprised that a movie about a crude talking Seth Rogen and his terribly hot best friend making a Porno (they are making it, not staring in it) would eventually cross that line.
There is no limit to the degree of crude talk that comes out of Seth Rogen’s mouth, but we have become used to that. So this will likely just mean they have to appeal with some suggested changes and make the movie more appropriate for a rated R crowd. (18a in Canada)
But I think the MPAA is getting a little looser with its judgement. Consider back in 1999 when American Pie came out. They had to change a line when Stiffler drinks beer laced with Semen from “man chowder” to “pale ale” to dodge an NC-17. And the iconic scene with Jim having sex with the pie was changed to him doing it standing up. Laying on top and penetrating the pie was too graphic. In the last 5 years we have seen FAR more explicit inuendo and sexual scenes getting an R.
Kevin Smith’s own Clerks 2 featured a scene with a man sexually satisfying a donkey. Originally Smith wanted to release it unrated because he feared that the MPAA would have to create a new rating for that movie. Clerks 2 got a rated R with no edits.
So with all the expected crude and sexually blunt jokes we expect from Zach and Miri Make a Porno, WHAT WAS SO OFFENSIVE??
And this will not destroy the integrity of the film. Smith will simply make some edits, clean it up a tiny bit (thats like handing a gangbang hooker a wetnap) and get his R.
Then release an unrated version on DVD.
