It’s such a proud day for ladies! We are no longer being slut-shamed by the MPAA (the Hollywood ratings board) for just wanting to see “getting ours” represented in film. Blue Valentine’s NC-17 rating has just been overturned – it was widely thought that the sex scene between Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams were just too raw, too realistic, too exposed, too authentic, and that’s why Blue Valentine ended up with an NC-17 rating. That rating would have severely crippled Blue Valentine’s prospective Oscar campaign – many consider both Gosling and Williams heavy contenders in the acting categories – and would have hampered any chance for the film to make money. But you know who produced the oral-sex-athon? Harvey Weinstein. Harvey was all “You’re going to slut shame my film? Prepare to die, bitches.”
The MPAA’s ratings appeals board has overturned the NC-17 rating, which it originally gave to the Weinstein Co.’s marital drama Blue Valentine.
The movie, which will be released Dec. 31., will now be rated R.
In 2008, the Weinstein Co. waged a similar campaign, successfully appealing an NC-17 that was given to Kevin Smith’s comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
It remains a relative rarity, though. According to Time magazine, over the past decade 21 NC-17 films sought an R-rating on appeal, but only Zack was given the less restrictive rating.
[From The Hollywood Reporter]
What does this mean? Several things:
1. Old farts at the MPAA are nervous bitches, and if you old-fart-shame them about their slut-shaming, they might just cave.
2. The MPAA rating system needs a serious overhaul. I doubt it will happen now that Harvey has gotten his way, but there are serious problems like this that arise every few years, although this was the “sexiest” MPAA scandal in a few years. Notably, I remember how Roger Ebert and other critics were pissed that Whale Rider got a PG-13 rating – they claimed it should be a more family friendly G-rating. It’s time for a movement!
3. More people will see Blue Valentine. It will be in more theatres. This rating scandal was also really good (somewhat free) publicity for the film. Now the film seems “naughty” and “dirty”.
4. Michelle and Ryan will probably get nominated for more awards now.
5. More GOSDONG. Now and forever. Maybe not, but we’re closer.
6. Sad, depressing, tragic female orgasms are now somewhat welcome on screen. Sluts.
Yea for Blue Valentine! Yea for oral sex! Power to the dongs, er, people!
WHAT? No way. But I shouldnt be surprised considering how everywhere women are brainwashed into thinking pleasure for a man is supposed to be somehow pleasing for us. Women celebrate it as some sort of an expression of “her” sexuality/liberty?
Uhm, no honey- you are pleasing a man, that is all. Giving in to his needs, and not aware of yours.
Maybe this ia a small first step in what would hopefully be a tidalwave turning this blind culture around into recognizing, respecting and glorifying womens expereinces. It would me a much needed education for men, who only think of themselves and are also fooled into thinking that their own pleasure is the most or the only they can or should enjoy (just like women are fooled too). Here is part of the media inundation thats creating this mistaken mentality– hurray that it was spotted and corrected 😉
What does this mean? Several things:
7. Vadgecicles will now come in more flavors.
@teehee:
What the hell are you talking about? You sound like a scorned women who can’t be satisfied.
teehee: relax
This victory is tainted by the idea that Boobs Lively is gettin’ it from Ryan Gosling.
@teehee, omg I really really do feel sorry for you.. sounds like your sex-life has been totally sad and boring for you… maybe you should chose better men…
OMG oral sex from the Gos….
Gosh teehee…time for a nap. Dream about oral sex.
teehee, I gotta disagree.
“pleasuring” your man can be VERY pleasurable for you, too. I won’t get too graphic or personal here, but the idea that you’re turning someone on is a turn-on all it’s own.
the main issue for Weinstein and the studio was that there was a similar scene between two women (in Black Swan, I think) that didn’t earn an NC-17 rating. it was a double standard issue, I think.
The MPAA is silly and antiquated and, in my opinion, pro-violence.
Teehee, I don’t want to join in on berating you. I would like to point out, however, that by your logic, no man should ever go down on a woman, either. You’re really doing men a disservice by lumping all of them in with a few louts.
It’s possible, and I’d bet even common, for both men and women to enjoy pleasing a partner they care about.
“Uhm, no honey- you are pleasing a man, that is all. Giving in to his needs, and not aware of yours.”
And this is just insulting and childish. Do you really think that women who enjoy sex are just ignorant? LOL.
So according to the MPAA it’s okay to show a woman getting raped or a woman being abused by a man but heaven forbid she get her groove on in orgasmic pleasure because that’s offensive?
On another note what precautions are the theaters taking to keep women from randomly throwing themselves at the screen when this sordid scene takes place?
I probably should add in that I am talking specifically about a woman performing. And nothing else.
Yes it is enjoyable also to give. But far more limited. At least my personal expereince of it is that, and we all have our own opinions and preferences. I am instead pointing to a very specific flaw common in the culture, though, which focuses not on the womans enjoyment but on the mans, and how women have confused this as being part of their own sexuality- giving more than they get. It isnt, or is only a tiny part of it, in the fullest sense.
I am always very general when I talk here, because this is no place for elaborations and discussing each and every facet of a topic. Life is way more complex and far from black and white in that sense. And this is not a discussion board where that is welcome or even appreciated but a hit and run type of comment board full of people behaving like they typically do in internet forums.
That “women who enjoy sex are ignorant” mis-interpretation of what I said is what is insulting- not what I said.
Awesome 🙂
Like you said yesterday, Rape is ok for “R” but oral sex gets “NC17?!” Absolutely ridiculous.
It’s all academic, seeing as about 3 people will watch this film and all of them will be critics – just like with Brown Bunny, 9 Songs, The Reader, etc… Only unrealistic “clean” sex with beautiful people actually sells!
Let’s hope this will go toward a better classification.
I find stupid that you can see so much violence (and sexual jokes) in some family movie, but when someone show nudity is still seen like some sort of scandal (especially male nudity…). Hello, humans aren’t born with clothes on, it’s natural! It’s beautiful! Children are not idiots, and people should be less prude about penis and breasts.
Ok, side note, Michelle and Ryan look really cute together!
And I am so going to see this movie!
@teehee….chill
Stronzilla, excellent post.
yeah, “Watchmen” was rated R and there was a REALLY brutal scene where a woman gets beaten badly. VERY hard to watch. that’s just one example…
TV is the same way. you can show all sorts of gore (think Bones) or present all sorts of really horrible sex crimes (L&O: SVU), but GOD FORBID you show two men kissing.
Make that 4 people, because I am TOTALLY going to see this movie…
what happened to the movie ratings system anyolehoo?
fatal attraction would be the first film that comes to mind that had graphic sex & it was rated r. that used to be the norm for an r rated film. & now it’s so so different.
@teehee what in the world are you going on about? The main scene in question that was getting them the NC-17 was one in which Ryan was performing oral sex on Michelle. The PROBLEM was that Michelle, the woman, was enjoying it too much. And the MPAA is notorious for having problems with depictions of female pleasure. How is that about satisfying male pleasure, at the expense of a woman’s? Anyway, I’m thrilled that this film won it’s appeal from a ratings board, that is much more comfortable seeing a woman get hacked to death, rather than laid, well and often. Luckily the movie had a strong studio head, and a team of lawyers to fight for it. Most independent films just get steamrolled in the appeals process.
So kids, the moral of the story is don’t paint all dongs with the same brush (ooh, note to self: try that later) and if you want to get those pesky oral sex scenes approved by the MPAA all you need is some head. Studio head that is.
And I hereby cast my vote to nominate Ryan Gosling’s nose for an Oscar!
I am so confused, I thought this was about Michelle’s character receiving. I don’t know what this ‘flaw’ in the culture is — women are supposed to give men oral sex and not enjoy themselves? I thought that was a totally outdated notion (and I come from a fairly repressed family). Women can enjoy giving and receiving and men can enjoy giving and receiving and that’s fabulous. It’s not deep, y’all.
On another note, what a cute couple Ryan and Michelle make. I think that haircut makes Michelle’s cheekbones pop.
This makes me very happy. I suggest watching the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated (I believe it’s available on Netflix watch instantly), which is about the MPAA. I was so pissed off by the time I got done watching this film. The MPAA is made up of a bunch of out of touch idiots. I swear, they’re more secretive than the government. The guy doing the doc actually had to hire a PI to follow these people to find out who they were.
Its related in that this sort of censorsip or these double standards are what go to perpetuate those old notions… yes they do still exist and hence this sort of a rating was given to the film… why would they banish that scene from a film but not all the others?
Yeah I know, Im several deductions away from the topic here LOL
Wow. I don’t understand the piling on teehee. Her only point is that there is still an unequal representation of female pleasure on screen, which sprouts from the fact that our culture still prioritizes male sexual pleasure over female. That’s why the overwhelming amount of porn shows male fantasies and women pleasing men. It isn’t that it’s not fun to give, cuz it is, but we need to get ours too. I get it. I think some of you other posters are the ones that need to relax.
@ Praise St. Angie!:
“TV is the same way. you can show all sorts of gore (think Bones) or present all sorts of really horrible sex crimes (L&O: SVU), but GOD FORBID you show two men kissing.”
This is exactly how I feel, especially when I’m watching Supernatural. One of the brother’s is adopted right?
@ teehee: i think generalizing all men as sexual oafs is silly. there are many men who are very giving lovers, it just sounds like you haven’t found too many of them – keep looking, they exist. and let’s not forget, there are alot of women who won’t perform oral on a man, either. sad all around.
@ everyone else: i get what teehee is saying, even if she is saying it in a feminist theory 101 kind of way.
@normandes, oh god can you imagine????
Good. If Black Swan gets an R rating Blue Valentine deserves the same.
(Admittedly, this is just by what I’ve read but films shouldn’t get special treatment because of who produced them.)
Teehee- I can definitely agree with you on this point: “I am instead pointing to a very specific flaw common in the culture, though, which focuses not on the womans enjoyment but on the mans”.
In my earlier response I did not realize that you weren’t speaking about men and women in general. Thanks for clarifying!
i love oral sex….makes me see the big o in a new light and colour.
I wonder how much the Weinsteins paid the MPAA for a R rating vs. NC17.
I may be in the minority here, but I got what teehee was saying and I agree with her!
@ MaiGirl:
our culture still prioritizes male sexual pleasure over female. That’s why the overwhelming amount of porn shows male fantasies and women pleasing men. It isn’t that it’s not fun to give, cuz it is, but we need to get ours too.
Exactly!
I think a lot of other posters are missing the point.
@original kate:
@ teehee: i think generalizing all men as sexual oafs is silly.
I don’t see where she said that all. She was talking about the male-centric view of sexuality in our culture. Of course not all men think this (my Ex certainty didn’t), but there are quite a lot that absorb this damaging view.
@ iggles: yes, i know teehee was talking about the malecentric view but in her first post (which is what i responded to) she wrote : “It would me a much needed education for men, who only think of themselves…” that sounds pretty generalized to me, as in all men think this way. they don’t, any more than all women think/respond a certain way.
@MaiGirl: Exactly!
I knew what you meant Teehee.