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Author Topic: Kids getting into R-rated movies? Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-26-2007 10:00 PM                        Found this in the Billings Gazette today and thought it might be good to see how this situation is handled around the rest of Film-Tech-dom. All the theatres in Billings are Carmikes. Q & A Each week, The Billings Gazette's Tempo page asks area teens for their thoughts on a particular topic. This week's question: Does "rated-R" mean anything anymore? Do theaters enforce the 17-year-old age requirement? Do your parents mind if you watch rated R movies? MATT DUPUIS, 16 Skyview High I don't think that they care as much unless it's a manager or something and then, if it's not a manager, then they don't care and then they give you a ticket anyways. And my parents don't care if I see rated-R movies. DANA GROB, 16 West High I go to movies, like, all the time, so rated-R doesn't really bother me. It's something parents and I do. And I buy rated-R movies. Sometimes I buy tickets when I'm going with my friends then they never ask for IDs. It never really bothered me or my parents. KATIE WILMOUTH, 16 Billings Central Catholic High No, and I've never been in a situation where the theater has refused to sell us tickets. JENNY O'BRIEN, 16 Senior High My parents do mind if I watch rated-R movies because they don't want the sexual content and stuff. But I don't mind like war movies and violence, but I still think it does (mean something). I know people that have gotten into rated-R movies and they're way younger. Published on Saturday, May 26, 2007. Last modified on 5/26/2007 at 1:52 am Link  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 05-26-2007 10:37 PM                        a very worthy topic Mike. It is an issue that bugs me. Kids today seem to be trying to get too far ahead of themselves. You give them a choice of say for exstreme example "Charlottes Web" or Saw 3 and they will all go for Saw3. All trying to be over mature , then during the show they find they cannot comprehend the story and or dialog driven show make them bored and the trash the place. Further more Parents don't seem to be making this any easier for us . We try to uphold very strict ID check to ensure we are following classification rules at all times. recently I have had 2 mums abuse me because I would not let there 12 year old give into a restricted 18+ film. Her comment ends with well The local video library lets them hire 18+ DVD's , should responsible parent be trying to steer children away from this type of product? I think the authorities should tighten up as well , even underage drinking in or local hotels is quite staggering. les than 12 months ago the town suffered the loss of two local lads , they got into a car with a drunk 15 year old who did not have a drivers license , speed of and mach one crashed, the two kids died, the drunk teen driver lived and after a long court case all charges against the drunk underage driver were dropped. you can appreciate how the parents of the dead kids felt!  |  IP: Logged Chad M Calpito Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Apr 2006 posted 05-26-2007 11:38 PM                        At my theatre, we strictly enforce the R-Rating Policy. When I work at Guest Services, usually once a week, I strictly enforce it and make No Exceptions when asking for ID's. No ID, No R-Rated movie. If they a person is attending with a parent, then, I have no choice since the parent is going with them. Of course, I have refused parents buying tickets for their underage kids, etc., when the parent won't be going in with them. I explain it to them that it is policy and I won't budge from this policy. At times, we have Ticket Checkers as well to check tickets and ID's as well during those certain big R-Rated movies. In essence, I am extremely strict and won't bend the rules no matter what.  |  IP: Logged Mike Heenan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1896 From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 05-27-2007 12:26 AM                     Here's what I dont get... any kid can walk into Best Buy and buy Saw 3 unrated.... what is the big deal with them seeing something much tamer in the theaters?  |  IP: Logged Christopher Meredith Expert Film Handler Posts: 126 From: Jackson, MS, USA Registered: Apr 2006 posted 05-27-2007 12:43 AM                        I check ID if I'm in the box office but I certainly don't police the auditoriums or stand at the door. My personal feelings aside, working in this industry for the big corporate entity I work for, nothing can be plainer than the fact that our "raison d'etre" is the bottom line. We don't make the movies, we just show them. And as we tell every customer who wants a refund because they didn't like the movie, we're not responsible for the content. Sure, there's stuff young kids shouldn't see. That's what parents are for. If their parents don't care, why should I?  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 05-27-2007 12:30 PM                     I find it disturbing that some parents apparently have no problem with their kids watching R-rated movies if the movie just has a bunch of violence in it. The only thing objectionable seems to be exposed female nipples.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 05-27-2007 01:44 PM                     We enforce the R policy at my theate (as ALL Carmikes are supposed to). Problem is, for every parent thst is glad we stop kids from buying tickets to R-rated movies there's at least one that mad and takes their childs side. I remember when we opened 'South Park' in 1999. South Park was only a few years old and we realized that some people might not realize it was an adult cartoon so we got in the habbit of warning people who were obviously going to take their young children too it. Many people were glad of the warning, but a few just shrugged and said they knew (no one got mad, we made sure not to be pushy or argue with the customer). I had one guy that, as he brought his 5 year old son into the theatre, "Its okay, we watch it together every Wednesday."  |  IP: Logged Paul Trimboli Master Film Handler Posts: 274 From: Perth Western Australia Registered: Dec 2002 posted 05-27-2007 09:56 PM                     In response to Mike Heenan, that is pretty stupid that they can walk into any store and buy the DVD. I guess the point is they should not be able to do that, ratings are in place for a reason. Whats with these irresponsible parents!? It parents like this that make me stand by my opinon that there needs to be a licensing system before people can have children, its should be a serious profession not just something anyone can do. Look at the state of the world and how unfit parents have had children who are now in turn even more unfit to be parents..... where will it end. Now onto the actual topic, we had a strong policy on ratings where I worked. When I was working for IMAX and we had 35mm showing (can't remember the film) and I was only 16 at the time I was not even allowed to do cinema checks while an 18+ film was screening.  |  IP: Logged Pravin Ratnam Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 844 From: Atlanta, GA,USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 05-28-2007 03:24 AM                     I see noting wrong with kids watching Matrix without their parents. That was an R. I saw Alien as a 10 year old. A kid is not going to get jaded by the ability to watch an R movie in a theater. If he or she is going to sneak in without parents knowledge,then there are far worse things the kid is capable of. What a parent might want to worry about is the constant PG-13, light R jokey stuff that goes on prime time TV or the constant trash on daytime TV that kids get exposed to on a daily basis making them jaded to crass stuff.  |  IP: Logged R. Andrew Diercks Expert Film Handler Posts: 232 From: Marion, Iowa (In the middle of everywhere) Registered: May 2003 posted 05-28-2007 12:33 PM                     I enforced a strict R rated policy when I managed. I did not let employees under 17 screen prints without speaking to their parents about it. Just to CYA, its a good idea. I personally let my kids see things many parents would be appalled about but I am there to answer questions. I stand by the parents right to decide. I only let parents bring their own child to R rated films too, not 15 other kids for the slumber party. How do they know the other parents approve, that lack of care for other parents beliefs drives me crazy. Not a lot different than the "cool" parents that host beer parties at there house for high school kids. They should be locked up.  |  IP: Logged Joel N. Weber II Expert Film Handler Posts: 115 From: Somerville, MA, USA Registered: Dec 2005 posted 05-28-2007 01:40 PM                     I seem to recall hearing a long time ago that the norms for this sort of thing vary from one country to another; for example, I think I have heard that in Germany nobody thinks it's a problem for a 15 year old to consume beer or see a sexually explicit movie, and that Germany's rating system is more likely to consider violence a problem for younger views than sexuality.  |  IP: Logged Dennis Benjamin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1445 From: Denton, MD Registered: Feb 2002 posted 05-28-2007 09:49 PM                        This is part of the moral breakdown of modern society. Nowadays what's on TV should be rated "R" - instead they give it a TV-14 or a MA rating (same thing!) We'll soon be seeing reality TV with people killing each other. Soon after that will follow the fall of the Roman Empire.... The decline of the western civilization, part one.....  |  IP: Logged Caleb Johnstone-Cowan Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 593 From: London, UK Registered: Mar 2006 posted 05-29-2007 12:57 AM                     Can you really buy an R-rated DVD at say age ten without any restrictions? I disagree with our legislation which created video censorship (a reaction to a right-wing moral panic in the 80's) but since it is so easy to take scenes out of context using the functions on a DVD/VCR there has to be a line where retailers don't let kids buy certain material without parental permission.  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 05-29-2007 01:53 AM                        I am not sure of the rules in other country's , but here we also have rating on music ,underage kids seem to be able to buy restricted music and DVDs without any problems ans as I said earlier the video library's don't care what the rent to who.  |  IP: Logged Gracia L. Babbidge Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 709 From: Bowdoin, Maine Registered: Aug 2000 posted 05-29-2007 12:24 PM                        At the multiplexes at which I used to work - the policy on 'R' rated films was stricly enforced - particularly in the wake of the Columbine shootings. No parental accompaniment / no ID = no entry, no exceptions. Was that popular with the teens? Not at all. Did they often buy tickets for films that weren't rated 'R' in the hopes that they could sneak into the auditorium playing the film they really wanted to see? Of course. Did we do head counts & eject the little imps? Yes, and got called lots of charming names in the process. There were some disgruntled parents that insisted we must only be trying to increase our ticket sales when we insisted that they accompany their kids to the 'R' rated films. Currently, I'm at a single screen indie cinema. A great number of the titles we run are of little interest to middle / high school aged kids. So, the 'R' policy is far less of an issue for us. We've bent the rules on occasions, but it is rarely something we're in a position to decide to do.  |  IP: Logged

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