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MPAA Rating System
Ratings Board
Movie ratings are decided by a full-time Rating Board located in Los Angeles. There are 10 to 13 members of the Board who serve for periods of varying length. They work for the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA), which is funded by fees charged to producers/distributors for the rating of their films.
G Rating
G movies contain nothing in theme, language, nudity and sex, violence, etc. that would be offensive to parents whose younger children view the film. It is important to note that the G rating is not a certificate of approval nor does it signify a children’s film.
Some language may go beyond polite conversation but the words used are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated films. The violence is at a minimum. Nudity and sex scenes are not present, nor is there any drug use content.
PG Rating
PG movies should be examined by parents before they let their children attend. The label PG plainly states parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, but leaves the parent to make the decision.
Parents are warned against sending their children to PG-rated movies.
The theme of a PG-rated film may itself call for parental guidance.
There may be some profanity in these films. There may be some violence
or brief nudity.
However, these elements are not considered so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated film. The PG rating is an alert for examination of a film by parents before deciding on its viewing by their children. Parents should exercise parental responsibility. The PG rating is intended to serve as a meaningful guide and as a warning.
However, these elements are not considered so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated film. The PG rating is an alert for examination of a film by parents before deciding on its viewing by their children. Parents should exercise parental responsibility. The PG rating is intended to serve as a meaningful guide and as a warning.
PG-13 Rating
PG-13 is a sterner warning to parents. Parents are alerted to be very careful about the attendance of their under-teenage children. A PG-13 film is one which leaps beyond the boundaries of the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, or other contents, but does not quite fit within the restricted R category. Any drug use content will initially require at least a PG-13 rating.
In effect, the PG-13 cautions parents with more stringency than usual to
give special attention to this film before they allow their
12-year-olds and younger to attend. If nudity is sexually oriented, the
film will generally not be found in the PG-13 category. If violence is
too rough or persistent, the film goes into the R (restricted) rating. 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.
PG-13 places larger responsibilities on parents for their children. The voluntary rating system is not a surrogate parent, nor should it be. It cannot, and should not, insert itself in family decisions that only parents can make. Its purpose is to give pre-screened informational warnings, so that parents can form their own judgments. PG-13 is designed to make parental decisions easier for films between PG and R.
PG-13 places larger responsibilities on parents for their children. The voluntary rating system is not a surrogate parent, nor should it be. It cannot, and should not, insert itself in family decisions that only parents can make. Its purpose is to give pre-screened informational warnings, so that parents can form their own judgments. PG-13 is designed to make parental decisions easier for films between PG and R.
R Rating
R rated movies definitely contain some adult material. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about this film before they allow their children to accompany them. An R-rated film may include strong language, violence, nudity, drug abuse, other elements, or a combination of the above. Parents should take this advisory rating very seriously.
NC-17
Most parents will consider these movies to be too adult for their children under 17. And no children will be admitted.
Legally, an NC-17 rating does not necessarily mean obscene or
pornographic. Excessive violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse
or other elements require an NC-17 ratting. The MPAA rating board feels
most parents would consider these elements too strong for viewing by
their children.
Ratings at the Library
We encourage viewers to look for the rating assigned by the MPAA. It’s on the back of the case in the lower left corner for most feature films. If the movie is rated R, the barcode is marked in yellow. Minor children need parental/guardian permission before checking out movies with yellow barcodes.
Unrated Films
It is important to note that many of the DVDs in our collection are not rated by the MPAA. Examples of unrated DVDs can be found in Foreign, Indie, TV shows and British productions. When checking out an unrated DVD, we recommend library customers exercise caution and consider cultural differences which may allow for a more relaxed stance on elements such as language and nudity, for example.
More Information
Customers with questions about unrated DVDs can learn about them at the International Movie Database website or by calling Media Arts at 336-883-3638.