As if the American ratings system wasn’t politicized or puritanical or murky enough as it is, the MPAA says it will now “consider” all forms of smoking when rating films — but it is not at all clear what this will actually mean in practice. Variety reports:
Responding to years of criticism from child advocacy groups and health organization, the Motion Picture Assn. of America announced Thursday it is expanding its current consideration of teen smoking to all smoking when evaluating and assigning a movie rating.
“In the past, illegal teen smoking has been a factor in the rating of films, alongside other parental concerns such as sex, violence and adult language,” MPAA said in a statement. “Now, all smoking will be considered and depictions that glamorize smoking or movies that feature pervasive smoking outside of an historic or other mitigating context may receive a higher rating.”
This is the kind of statement that is designed to satisfy no one. The people who have been calling for stronger ratings — such as Harvard’s School of Public Health, which went public with its own demands last month — may find this change in policy too vague; indeed, some groups are already demanding the R rating for depictions of smoking. And filmmakers who already have to waste so much time second-guessing their creative decisions because of the MPAA will now have just one more thing to worry about.
MAY 11 UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter has more data — and passes on the news that “A Senate-FCC industry task force has been convened to identify ways of forcing content producers to encourage children to eat healthy foods.” Gadzooks.
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