So now that a lot of people have had a chance to check out The Hangover over the past week or so, I wanted to bring up something that I'm surprised more people haven't been talking about: its rating. The discussion will focus on something specific from the end of the film, so I suppose it could be considered a minor spoiler if you haven't seen the movie yet. Go ahead and skip the next few sentences if you want to avoid knowing what happens during the end credits. Basically, there is a montage of various raunchy photographs shown depicting their wild night in Vegas, including one with Zach Galifianakis receiving oral sex from a middle-aged woman where his penis is fully visible. Granted, the penis itself was probably not real, but it was certainly shocking -- and hilarious.
Now, this isn't the first time we've seen full-frontal male nudity in a comedy... in fact, it's become almost a requirement for R-rated comedies to show a little sausage as of late, but never in a sexual situation. I can't help but wonder, how the heck did the MPAA let this one slide? Is it because the scene takes place during the end credits, and is only a split second flash of a still photograph? Or was there some sort of special concession made for Warner Brothers here? Keep in mind, this is the same studio that got away with a lot of violence and a PG-13 rating for The Dark Knight (Max Payne director John Moore had some
unkind things to say about that a while back). Now I'm not saying I had a problem with the image in question, it's just that once again the MPAA's inconsistencies are shining through. Did you think the photograph was appropriate for an R-rated movie? Where should the line be drawn? What other movies have surprised you with the things they were able to get away with it? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.
Update: I am realizing I might not have been clear enough. My main question is, how did the movie manage to get an R-rating as opposed to an NC-17... not an R-rating as opposed to PG-13.
[1] http://defamer.gawker.com/5047339/max-payne-director-on-dark-knights-pg+13-mpaa-scked-warners-cck