Review of This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006) by Corey B — 31 Mar 2012

Rating surrendered; previous version rated NC-17 for some graphic sexual content.

Eye opening... More than a little one sided, but still eye opening... Besides that, where else can you hear Maria Bello saying "That's why I fought for my pubic hair!" ... I know it sounds crass out of a context, but in context it just sounds silly... Even if she's one hundred percent serious.

The Story: Filmmaker Kirby dick takes an in depth look at the film industries biggest mystery. Who and what is the MPAA? Of course we all know what the MPAA is, it's the Motion Picture Association of America, they rate movies and tell filmmakers what can't be in their work... It's common knowledge that the MPAA is mysterious, no one knows the names of the people in charge of rating films, no one knows the exact criteria for ratings (mainly because there is none), no one really knows why some movies get PG - 13 when they should get R, or why something gets R and is worse than something that's NC - 17. That's about to change. Teaming up with a group of private detectives, input from filmmakers and their experience with the infamous organization, and even interviews with people that work for or have worked for the MPAA, Kirby dick is about to expose the system for what it really is. Corrupt. Restrictive. Condescending. Overpowered... And well, the list goes on.

Watching this film you can't help but compare Mr. dick to Michael Moore. The documentary style is strikingly similar as it's all very one sided, and all extremely accusational toward them. As a fan of film, and someone that wishes he could be a filmmaker, this one stood out as a must see. And eventhough I loved every minute of it, I couldn't help but feel as though the film was trying too hard to send its message, sometimes it comes off as just sounding preachy. Though you feel like the industry is in need of serious renovation, you can't help but wonder just how much of the film is cut in a way that's meant to make the MPAA look worse than it really is... It makes you wonder if the organization is the monster they make it out to be... And in the end, you'll probably say. Yes. Yes it is... But not necessarily for the reasons the film tells you. I don't really know if that last bit made sense or not.

I guess my biggest problem is the pointing out almost every member of the MPAA raters board. Taking pictures, and giving detailed descriptions of the raters goes a little far. Are these people really that bad? Sure the system is very flawed and even a little corrupt, but these raters are just doing their job and minding their own business. Are they really the enemy? Or is it the organization that extends even past them? The MPAA as a whole? It's like Kirby just wanted to put them on film to piss off the MPAA... Again, these people are just doing their jobs. Do they really deserve to be singled out as the people you need to stone?

The Cast: Kirby dick, Becky Altringer...

There's a lot of interviews here, and to comment on all of them would be tedious and stupid. I'll just say this, ignore Kevin Smith, eventhough he makes one somewhat valid point in an interview, we all still need to ignore him in hopes that he will just go away. And pretend that Daron Arnofsky isn't there... Seriously the man might be a "visionary" filmmaker, but his view on the ratings system is so ass backward that it's almost makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time... Anyway, onto Kriby dick, the man behind the film. The interviewer, director, writer (kind of) and even sometimes camera man, he'll convince you that things need to change. Can't really talk about his performance, because well it's a documentary, it's not really a performance, at least not in general terms. He's informative in a way that a lot of people aren't, he doesn't really state a lot of facts, opinions or statistics, he just kind of moves things a long and lets the interviewees explain the system. It's in this way that the film really takes care of itself, he's sort of just a very biased moderator. A likeable guy, with a great idea for a film. Becky Altringer, the lesibian private dick (HA! Bet you don't hear that every day). Whether you like her or not, she gets the job done. Sifting through garbage making calls, tracking people, getting photos, doing background checks, she's like a human version of the internet... That's about it, there is one interview that really stands out though, and that is Jon Waters. Love him or hate him for his terribly raunchy films he makes some of the most valid and entertaining points of the film... That's all I'm going to say about it, you'll have to see it, a mere set of quotes wouldn't even come close to doing the man justice.

One to Five Scale: 4.

I was actually going to give this a 5, but it really does come off as too preachy sometimes. I would venture a guess to say that if you like movies like Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 911, or even Supersize Me, than you'll absolutely love this one. Fans of the preachy documentary genre (yes I've proclaimed it as a genre!) might as well bump the score up to a 5, though fans of film in general might just stay on the high 4 end.

Tyler.

4-1-07.

Also, a bit of information for anyone that might not know... This film actually got the MPAA to relax a little, and loosen up it's rigid "better than God" system. This film literally changed the way the MPAA works. How cool is that?