How To Get That PG For “Bully”: Bleep The Profanity
by Scott Mendelson
You can’t have more than one ‘f-word’ in your movie and still get a PG-13. There have been a few exceptions over the years, but generally it’s one ‘f-word’ in a non-sexual context. Anymore than that, and its an automatic R-rating. We can debate the morality/practicality of that specific rule. Hell, I’d probably agree with you that it’s a silly arbitrary requirement, especially considering the sort of violent content that, thanks to the FEC’s war on R-rated movies in 2001 (HERE), ends up in PG-13 movies. But at the end of the day, it’s one of the MPAA’s few ironclad rules. Thus I have little sympathy when Weinstein’s films keep trying to skirt that ‘one rule’ and still attempt to get that PG-13. Their new documentary Bully may indeed be must-see viewing for teenagers. It may shed light on a major problem, affect the national conversation, and save lives. But if Harvey Weinstein and director Lee Hirsch want that PG-13, they should just bleep out the offending f-words. Period. We may not like the rules, but those are the rules as they stand at the moment.
