This Film Is Not Yet Rated | DVD Review

It’s almost like sneaking a peek at your dad’s magazines when you’re a kid. You know it’s not allowed, but you just can’t resist. That’s the premise behind Kirby Dick’s insightful documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated. The film is an insightful look at the last vestige of sanctioned censorship left in America. It’s a ride as indignant to the system as it is enlightening to the public. Sheer genius.

After the MPAA refuses to allow Academy Award winning director Kirby Dick access to the behind the scenes goings on of the organization, he takes it upon himself to hire a team of private investigators, led by Becky Altringer, to track down the members of the voting board; the “average parents” who essentially decide what will, and will not, make it to theatres in America. The film follows both the history of the MPAA ratings board, as well as Jack Valenti’s essential lifting of the torch formerly carried by the Hay’s office. Through the course of the film Dick interviews several leading directors, including John Waters (A Dirty Shame), Matt Stone (South Park), Kevin Smith (Clerks), and Kimberly Pierce (Boys Don’t Cry), along with the current head and former members of the MPAA ratings board. “The ratings board is made up of a group of parents, who are neither gods, nor fools, who view a movie and attempt to rate it according to a standard which the average American would agree.”- Jack Valenti.

Following on the heels of his 2004 Best Documentary Oscar (Twist of Fate), Kirby Dick utilizes stealth, finesse and guerilla techniques to capture and expose the hypocrisy and bias of the MPAA ratings system. Jack Valenti, in an interview early in the history of the MPAA said, “If you make a movie that people want to see, then no rating can hurt you. If you make a movie that few people want to see, no rating can help you. Ratings have absolutely no bearing on box office.” The film explains what the viewer already knows; the rating has everything to do with box office, how many NC-17 movies have been actively advertised. Through one of the most hysterical animations seen in a documentary, Dick explains the meanings of the ratings given to films in frank and simple language. Through the course of the film, the audience is led through the stages a production must go through to receive a rating, the blind cuts required to lessen a rating, and the frustration of never knowing when is enough, and when is too much. According to Bingham Ray, these factors of course only truly apply to independent films, the MPAA he says, “targets independents”. The seven major studios, though the ratings board is supposed to be not only anonymous, but autonomous, are often let in on the specifics of the information that led to a particular rating, and subsequently the changes necessary to bring about the desired rating. The hypocrisy doesn’t end there, and Kirby Dick seems to enjoy bringing each and every instance to light.

Being an independent director, Kirby Dick knew too well the pains and pitfalls that the MPAA can bring to independent producers and directors. Through candid interviews with other independent filmmakers, he brings the depth of the problem fully and clearly to the viewing audience. Though he was able to obtain interviews with many cutting edge filmmakers, he admitted that the vast majority he contacted declined for fear of reprisal on their next film. Dick utilizes brilliant editing and a snappy soundtrack to pace the films linear progression and keep the audience enthralled. The film was a “Premieres Pick” at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and has become a darling among critics and Hollywood’s silent majority.

The newly released DVD, one of the first by Netflix distribution’s Red Envelope division, doesn’t contain much in the way of extras, but frankly, who needs them? The film itself tells details that would be extra fodder for studio DVD’s, with quality interviews, brilliant editing and highly entertaining and innovative animations and graphics. There are some deleted scenes afforded in the extras, though the reason for their deletion is not clear, and the production commentary is quirky, but not revealing of much more than the film itself gave. Insight is provided into the technology and back end structure via the commentary, but it is not a must see part of the disc experience.

For This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Kirby Dick brings to the table his brilliant documentary and networking skills, along with an obvious love for the art of filmmaking as he leads the audience through not only the documentary process, but ultimately the rating and appeal process for the very film he produced. His finished product, without the footage post rating review, garnered an NC-17 rating, Dick immediately appealed, and lost. The tale of the rating and the appeal give the film its greatest climatic effect, bringing the journey full circle and dropping us off at home. Mr. Dick, good luck on your next film, may the MPAA quiver at the sight of your name in the credits.

Movie rating – 3.5

Disc Rating – 3