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Q. Yesterday I saw the wonderful "Lost in Translation." About two thirds of the way though realized that there was no swearing or vulgar language. I thought for sure that I must be seeing a PG-rated film. I was shocked to see that according the movie's poster the MPAA rated the film as "R." Could it have been because of a few risquŽ moves by the fully-clothed stripper in the film? Next to the lobby poster for "Translation" was another MPAA rating travesty, "Whale Rider." The MPAA's crime against this film has been done to death but hash pipe or no hash pipe I still can't imagine why that film would deserve at "PG," let alone a "PG-13." This is a film for the ages that would be healthy viewing for all. Maybe somebody from the MPAA could step forward and help rationalize why a film like "Kill Bill," covered wall to wall with freshly extracted human entrails, is only one step more dangerous for us than "Whale Rider" and how "Lost in Translation" could be just as disturbing for viewers as "Kill Bill." Please help me understand. (Joe Taylor, Carbondale IL)
A. Gladly. The MPAA rating system is guided by the greed of the movie industry and its fear of the religious right. (1) Greed: It opposes a workable adults-only rating, because the industry doesn't want a category that would actually require them to turn away potential customers. Thus movies are crammed into the R category, sometimes having to be edited to qualify. We need an A-for-adult rating between the R and the NC-17 (a.k.a. X), to separate non-porn adult films from pornography. (2) Fear. Terrified of outside censorship, the MPAA is more sensitive to content involving language, mild sexuality and subtle drug references than the average American moviegoer. "Whale Rider" is a classic example of a film which Americans have embraced as ideal family entertainment; the PG-13 is a wild overreaction. We actually showed the offending "drug" scene on Ebert & Roeper and received not one single complaint. The best source for sane and objective information about the content of films is www.screenit.com.