Is the G rating dead?
 

I know there have never been that many movies that are released that have garnered a G rating from the MPAA, but it seems to me that lately there have been zero G rated movies. Even movies that seems like they should be rated G are rated PG now. Looking at the past few years the only movies to get a wide theatrical release that are rated G are Pixar/Disney Shorts and nature documentaries. Every cartoon used to be rated G but now they are all rated PG. I don't think in general they are getting more violent or adult but they are still rated PG.

Some recent examples of movies I thought would have been rated G
Christopher Robin
Smallfoot
Sing
Moana
Ferdinand
Peter Rabbit
Inside Out
Tangled
Paddington
Finding Dory

Before it was easier distinguishing between say a Monster's Inc (G) type of film and a film like Shrek (PG). And now there isn't any difference between a film like Inside Out (PG) and Incredibles 2 (PG), The later in my opinion being much more violent and scary. Now why do they even have the G rating anymore?

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

In 1970, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES was rated G, despite a bloody shootout and mass deaths. Ahhh, the good ol' days.

When STAR WARS was released, the MPAA was ready to rate it G, but producer Gary Kurtz lobbied for a PG, because he didn't want adolescents and teens to reject the film out of hand for being an uncool "G."

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

Maybe the MPAA is being more strict. I do see movies being released as Not Rated that look rather benign.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

Yes. Someone smoking a cigarette will get you a PG. Or people not wearing seatbelts. etc.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

That memorable trailer

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

I still don't know why they gave The Andromeda Strain (1971) the G rating when there a topless shot of the dead woman and there are scene involving animals where maybe little kids might be crying or traumatized.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

I can hear that voice!

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

2017's My Little Pony movie was rated PG for "mild action" --just saying.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

Oh yeah I know. As was the original Planet of the Apes and Star Trek the Motion Picture, the original Willy Wonka, Gone with the Wind.

Granted these were all before the advent of the PG-13 rating so they didn't have as wide of a spectrum to rate movies. But now that they have that it seems like they only use PG, PG-13 and R.

Maybe this saying from their own website indicates why?
"Nothing that would offend parents for viewing by children."
Maybe everyone is being so butthurt about anything and everything and they don't want to cause an "uproar" (read as a half dozen angry parents who figured out how to use twitter).

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

And honestly that's fine. There already is a G and PG rating so why not use both? For example Finding Dory was quite a bit different in tone and theme than Incredibles 2 as there were definitely some more scary scenes and adult themes and activities like mild cursing and drinking. Let alone Coraline which was also PG.

Exactly. How in the world is this movie rated PG?

I definitely don't rely on the MPAA I just thought it was a odd trend with family movies lately.

I remember growing up as a little kid some of my friends would only be able to watch things rated G.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

How movies are rated don't make a whole lot of sense to me anymore. If there were strict rules on what you can and cannot get away with for each type of movie it would be understandable. I insist Ant-Man and the Wasp, for instance, is every bit a PG movie.

Back when PG-13 came out, I did predict it would one day cause the end of the G rating.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

The mild action was bronies masturbating in the theaters

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

Maybe society as a whole has become more vulgar so there is no place for a G rating anymore.

Maybe off topic but I don't think you can make shows like Leave It to Beaver now and have it succeed.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

I think cigarettes automatically bump you to a PG-13, but I may be wrong. You mean: Rated PG-13 for "Intensive Drug Use" and "Reckless Personal Behavior".

That would be "heavy petting" not "mild action".

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

:lol:
Fixed

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

The MPAA ratings system is for parents and let's face it, parents of today are much more uptight about the influences of movies, the internet, music and TV on their children than any generation before.

The PG rating for an innocuous kids movie is no-fault rating the MPAA uses to minimize any public complaints. It's safer than a G rating, so they use it.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

I really think this is what it is. They're so worried about someone being butt hurt over something really innocuous. But that sucks because then there is no distinction between something for older kids and younger kids.

As far as parents I think it's not about being uptight its about the vast access of a wide range of media coming from all sorts of sources. So you have to be way more on guard then you used to be. I guess depending on how old you are think back to when you were a kid and how special and amazing seeing a set of knockers was. Now you can access it everywhere. Let alone anything violent. Even TV shows for "adults" in the past were generally safe for kids like the A-Team, McGuyver etc.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

Here’s a challenge. Name me a movie that would be truly G. Even the movies that did get that rating in the past probably didn’t deserve it. Planet of the Apes’ G is pretty crazy.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

Dammit! I want to be able to just trust an arbitrary rating to protect my kid's from filth flarn filth instead of doing my due diligence before they see a film!!!

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

I guess "uptight" wasn't really the best word. I look back at the early days of VHS rentals and most kids had access to really age-inappropriate titles.

In the summer of 1985 I was twelve years old. My friends and I had seen every Friday the 13th film up to that point, The Road Warrior, Porky's etc. A typical twelve year-old should have been excited to go see "The Goonies" that summer but most of my friends felt it was a kiddie movie and would have rather seen Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome or Commando.

I don't think any adult ever (willingly) watched A-Team, McGuyver, Knight Rider etc. I think these were more aimed at 8-14 year-old boys. I also remember they came under fire from parents' groups about the levels of violence.

On the other hand, did America have as many highly-publicized mass school shootings in 1985?

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

I don't know, even Bambi's mother being shot (off-screen) is enough to warrant a PG rating these days.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

Have to put it all in context.
The two issues ratings were created for were graphic violence and sexual innuendo.
There were films that had adult themes(rape, incest, homosexuality, etc.) that were made for adults and kids had zero interest in. Tennessee Williams for example. And everything else, westerns, horror, sci-fi, cops/robbers, war, etc.
Ratings were unnecessary.
By the mid-sixties sexual innuendo had crept into movies kids were interested in. Not the Dean Martin type bedroom farce comedies, but stuff like James Bond. Nothing was done about it.
Violence was a different story. Films like Bullitt came along. What broke the camel's back was Bonnie and Clyde getting gunned down. What kid doesn't want to see Bonnie and Clyde? People threw a hissy fit over that level of violence in a movie aimed at kids.
So we got ratings out of it.
Horror movies had and continued to get a pass because it was "fantasy" violence. Blood squirting out of a vampire's chest when he got staked was not the same as showing a gunshot wound to the head.
Only two type movies were being made, G and M(later PG). M was for movies that were pushing the traditional boundries of sexual suggestion. G was for movies that adhered to the traditional boundries, regardless of the violence, they weren't new territory. Hence, Planet of The Apes and Beneath Planet of Apes got a G. Nothing new here.
There was not a PG level of violence. Either traditional violence (G) or graphic (R). PG was for sexual suggestion.
R movies didn't exist until the rating was created. It was a new license for filmmakers to hog wild.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

I don't remember any movie showing naked guys before the ratings came along. They get naked in the first Planet of the Apes movie near the beginning- granted it's not sexual (they're just swimming) but that still wouldn't have gotten on TV then.

The profanity in "ET" was there specifically to make sure that didn't get a G rating either. One reason why I think the ratings system is a joke- you shouldn't have a certain rating in mind when making a movie, but they do most of the time. So they make sure their movies aren't too clean because they don't want a G rating, but also have to tone things down so they don't get an NC-17, which most of the industry is still afraid of even with Blockbuster out of the picture.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

Spoken like someone without any kids. We get it you don't have kids and don't have to worry about content, congratulations. And newsflash but the ratings system is part of that due diligence. Especially in the pre internet days what else were parents supposed to use, what other resources were there?

I think you were more the exception than the rule. You still had to be an adult to have a card from your local rental store to be able to rent movies so you probably had some adult involvement to rent R rated content. Either way it's much easier to access inappropriate content for kids now then before. Same thing with TV. Maybe adults didn't watch those shows but there weren't any Walking Deads on TV.

Re: Is the G rating dead?
 

Now that is really fascinating. I had no idea of the history of the ratings system. So when they created the R rating it basically gave film makers the freedom to make movies that were more "extreme" So that's why all the classic war movies were so tame. It really wasn't until Saving Private Ryan did they really go for a really realistic portrayal of what actual combat was like.