Is the NC-17 rating a joke? Yes, but nobody's laughing. It seems simple enough: a film category for grown-ups, not suitable for people 17 and under. But read on and see just how "simple" NC-17 is.
What is NC-17?
It isn't porn. Not by a long shot. But there's nakedness. Below-the-belt nakedness. Hot, sweaty, hunka-hunka, doitdoitdoitnow nakedness. Okay, it's porn. And maybe some violence. But when was the last time a movie was rated NC-17 for violence? Right, never. Wait, no, The Wild Bunch was, for about a minute, then re-rated R on appeal. See "The Dance" below.
When was the last time a movie was rated NC-17 at all?
Lust, Caution, I think--somebody let me know, willya? Did I miss one? A precious few films every year are brave enough to go out with this shunned designation. Sure, quite a few movies get the NC-17, then the producers appeal, or re-cut, or both, or "surrender" the rating. Again, see "The Dance" below.
Why so few NC-17 films?
The main reason: theatre owners, scared to death of legions of sign-carrying anti-smut crusaders and not wanting to turn away teens and pre-teens at the boxoffice, have almost universally refused to show NC-17 fare. (In the movie business, teens and pre-teens are also known by their trade-name: "Ticket-buyers.")
How can I tell why a film is rated NC-17?
They're supposed to tell you, like "brief nudity." Hello--what's that's mean? Who's nude? Male or female? Top, bottom or both? Front or back? In the sex act or not? How old? What position? With wispy "ah, they're in love" music or raw grunts, groans and slappy thigh sounds? (I love those.) How brief? And like where in the film exactly? How's an adult supposed to stay informed without this information?
What is the history of the NC-17 rating, and how did it evolve from the X-rating?
When the MPAA initiated the ratings system in 1968, they trademarked all the categories except for X. If you wanted your film rated, you went to the MPAA, but if you were willing to accept an X rating, you just slapped that baby on your film and went to town, and X instantly became synonymous with porn. Cinemas, TV stations, newspapers, shopping malls, even whole towns jumped in to solidify the situation by outlawing X-rated fare. So a ratings system which was supposed to be merely a guide for parents to indicate if a film was appropriate for their children became a de facto method of censorship. Porn producers raised the stakes, first with XX product, then XXX and finally the uber-porn designation, Quadruple-X. (XXXXX has been tried, but in this reporter's opinion, after years of research, no film ever truly qualified.)
So, because everybody thought there should be a category for grown-up films that weren't porn but probably shouldn't be seen by drooling pre-adolescents and screaming babies, the NC-17 rating was born. This designation was copyrighted by the MPAA, so you can't use it on your latest amateur sex video. (But go ahead and call it XXX--not only will it be recognized as porn, but also "vintage," "retro" and "old-school.")
What is "The Dance?"
We're not talking about that wonderful Richard Gere movie, this is the ritual of submitting a film to the MPAA, getting an NC-17 rating, being appropriately outraged to any number of media outlets, including Entertainment Tonight and Extra, thus garnering a bunch of attention, then re-editing for a nice R which makes your film acceptable at the corner 24-plex and the hometown newspaper.
Some films that have "danced the dance" - American Pie, Bent, Boys Don't Cry, Boxing Helena, Clerks, The Cooler, Grindhouse, Hostel, The Hills Have Eyes (1977), The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Saw, Saw II, Saw III, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Kalifornia, Killing Zoe, Natural Born Killers, Romper Stomper, Scream, etc.
Most recently the MPAA overturned the NC-17 rating for Zack and Miri Make a Porno after director Kevin Smith and Weinstein Company co-chairman Harvey Weinstein claimed to be shocked and outraged that the organization would indicate "content is appropriate only for an adult audience" for a film called Zack and Miri Make a Porno. They claimed the sex in the movie was "cartoonish and campy." (Been there, done that--the best kind, believe me--don't knock it till you've tried it.)
What is "The Double-Dance?"
This is when the DVD release gives a film a double-dip of free publicity by releasing both the edited R-rated theatrical version (which nobody wants to see) and the saucier NC-17 version (suitable for hiding under your mattress.)
What is the worst NC-17 film ever?
Orgazmo (1997) Calling this film appropriate for mature audiences is hugely misleading. Starring South Park's Trey Parker (who also wrote and directed), Orgazmo is intended for those drooling pre-adolescents we spoke of earlier. The plot: a young Mormon stumbles on a porn shoot and ends up playing the starring role. With stunningly bad acting, obscene rubber props and music improvised on a toy organ, this isn't a "so bad it's good" experience, it's just bad, intentionally bad, "we're trying to make a bad movie and we succeeded" bad. Who knows what's being made fun of here, besides you for watching it. Part of the joke: there's no female nudity, just guy's butts. Not funny, Trey, not funny.
What is "rating surrendered?"
Some films give up their NC-17 rating (since it's considered "boxoffice poison") and are released either unrated (UR) or not rated (NR).
BONUS FAQ - What's the difference between UR, unrated, and NR, not rated?
Got me. No idea.
What are the greatest NC-17 films of all time in no particular order?
Thought you'd never ask. Look here.
