Whatever rating Universal and Focus Features’ Fifty Shades of Grey was going to get from the MPAA was going to cause controversy. So it’s no surprise that the R-rating it got already has its critics.
While the rating is nowhere near as dangerous as an NC-17, producer Dana Brunetti told USA Today that he was still puzzled by the “unusual behavior” description listed by the MPAA.
Brunetti said at the Golden Globes that he had “no idea” what it meant. He told USA Today that the description gave him a good chuckle.
“So many people e-mailed me about that before I had even seen it,” Brunetti said. “And they were like, ‘What does unusual mean?’ It’s pretty unusual to me.”
Morality in Media, an anti-porn watchdog group, sent a statement to Entertainment Weekly, also criticizing the MPAA for the R-rating and the “unusual behavior” description.
“What the term ‘unusual’ does not account for is the coercion, sexual violence, female inequality, and BDSM themes from which the entire Fifty Shades plot is based,” the group said. “Such a vague evaluation puts viewers at risk, sending the message that humiliation is pleasurable and that torture should be sexually gratifying.”
The group also suggested that the MPAA change its rating to read, “Promotes torture as sexually gratifying, graphic nudity, encourages stalking and abuse of power, promotes female inequality, glamorizes and legitimizes violence against women.”
At the moment, the MPAA’s rating for the film lists “strong sexual content including dialogue, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity.”
Fifty Shades hits theaters on Feb. 13. The film is based on E.J. James’ novel and stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.
image courtesy of Peter West/ACE/INFphoto.com