More F9/11 - the movie, not the politics

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Barry_Green

Moderator
Okay, trying to let the Fahrenheit 9/11 subject drop, but then I find this, on the IMDB news:

"A theater owner in Oakland, CA has posted a sign on the theater's marquee saying, "We will not enforce the R rating for Fahrenheit 9/11." Allen Michaan, owner of the Grand Lake Theater, who may be the first theater owner to publicly defy the MPAA's rating code, told today's (Wednesday) Los Angeles Daily News: "We felt very strongly that the film did not warrant an R rating and that the audience that is being excluded, the young people 14-16 years old, it's their future that is at the most stake of anyone's." Michaan's decision was announced even as other theater chains were reportedly stepping up plans to enforce the rating. The Daily News quoted a manager at a multiplex in Long Beach, CA as saying that he's instituted "a little more of heightened security." However, he added, "I don't think there's that many younger kids who want to see a documentary. We've actually had more kids trying to sneak into Troy."

A theater owner taking the action to defy the MPAA restrictions, because he thinks the film doesn't deserve an 'R'? Wild. I wonder if there will be penalties from the MPAA (can there be?)

Furthermore, I wonder if this means we'll see a new trend, of incendiary political documentaries during every election year. I'd say it's probably a safe bet. I imagine more than a few studio execs are looking at the cheap production costs and the #1-at-the-box-office performance, and they've probably penciled in 2008 on their calendars already.
 
Re: More F9/11 - the movie, not the politics

A theater owner taking the action to defy the MPAA restrictions, because he thinks the film doesn't deserve an 'R'? Wild. I wonder if there will be penalties from the MPAA (can there be?)
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Obviously the ratings system is voluntary, but I don't know what if any penalties the MPAA can levy on theatre chains that opt out. I actually don't think there are any.

In other news, the MPAA did ban the use of Richard Roeper's quote, "everyone should see this movie" because the MPAA felt it erroneously portrayed the movie as a family film.

Furthermore, I wonder if this means we'll see a new trend, of incendiary political documentaries during every election year.
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I actually don't think so, not for the long term anyway. It takes a really unique confluence of events for a film like this to become the phenomenon it has. The last time I remember anything like this happening was The Blair Witch Project (a little movie that would have been considered a success at $10 million but went on to become a cultural phenomenon). While several films of that nature have tried to duplicate its success, BWP still stands alone as a film of its moment.

I hope this encourages more documentaries sure, but the success of F 9/11 has benefitted from too many uncontrolable elements, not the least of which is a WAR, that I am skeptical of any real duplication of this kind of event. I know that won't stop people from trying (I think Michael Moore Hates America just got a distributor) but it will only take two or three duds to relegate the incendiary polemic back to the confines of the art house cinema and ideological bootleggers passing around their favorite tapes about what really happened at Waco.
 
Re: More F9/11 - the movie, not the politics

Yeah, I don't see a proliferation of election-year political documentaries either. I agree that it's a product of the moment. I would rather see docs on a wide variety of subject matter do well at the box office. While I have no interest in spelling bees, I found Spellbound to be much more entertaining than Troy, for example.

As for the ratings thing, I think most theater owners will continue to follow the MPAA guidelines. At least publicly. I used to go to R rated movies when I was in high school. The people working the ticket counter never stopped me. I guess they figured A Fish Called Wanda wasn't going to do any irreparable harm to my fargile little mind.
 
Re: More F9/11 - the movie, not the politics

I think it's pretty clear that movies in general are released with timing in mind to influence elections, though.  Recent examples include "The Contender" in the fall of 2000, and that Showtime movie (I can't recall the title) just before the 2002 mid-term elections.  At least in the case of the SHO flick, the makers themselves said they hoped to influence the election.

Film is a powerful medium, so I don't imagine it's a trend which will dry up any time soon, even if it's not "documentaries."

And honestly, why should it? I have no problem with it. It's free speech in a free society.
 
Re: More F9/11 - the movie, not the politics

Don't be surprised if they release the DVD of F9/11 in October.
 
Re: More F9/11 - the movie, not the politics

I really liked The Contender, but I seriously doubt it influenced anyone's vote in 2000. I thought it was excellent, but it wouldn't have changed my vote. Maybe that was the filmmakers' intent, but I'd guess it's more likely that they timed the release for an election year more to tir into election politics for marketing purposes. I'm not sure which Showtime flick you're referring to, but I don't think I saw it.

I bet you're right that we'll see the 9/11 DVD in October though. Strictly from a financial perspective, there couldn't be a better time to release it.
 
Re: More F9/11 - the movie, not the politics

There are no laws which say it is against the law to sell R-rated tickets to under 17 year olds. And I find it annoying that it is the responsibilty of theater owners to play parent to a potential customer, and most theaters (some corporate do) do not enforce the ratings anyway. If they did, we'd probably have more NC-17 films (or unrated) for adults. Anyone else find it disturbing that movies are censored from the NC-17 rating to fit R, even though theater owners don't enforce the rating, a voluntary activity? This only reduces moments from a film deemed baudy or too violent by a lame old man who still talks about LBJ as if he were FDR. Ha!

In our system, the artist tends to lose first.
 
Re: More F9/11 - the movie, not the politics

There may not be laws, but there are certainly agreements and trade association rules that govern compliance. If a theater owner ignores the ratings, I would imagine he may be opening himself up to being blackballed by distributors.

The ratings system used to have very lax enforcement. After the Columbine shootings, there was a serious upgrade in enforcement and security. May not be governed by laws, but I'm sure it's governed by some trade association contracts/agreements.
 
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