The Ratings
G General Audiences - All ages admitted. Signifies that the film rated
contains nothing most parents will consider
offensive for even their youngest children to see or hear. Nudity, sex scenes,
and scenes of drug use are absent; violence is minimal; snippets of dialogue
may go beyond polite conversation but do not go beyond common everyday
expressions.
PG Parental Guidance Suggested - Some material may not be suitable for
children. Signifies that the film rated may contain some material
parents might not like to expose to their young children - material that will
clearly need to be examined or inquired about before children are allowed to
attend the film. Explicit sex scenes and scenes of drug use are absent;
nudity, if present, is seen only briefly, horror and violence do not exceed
moderate levels.
PG-13 Parents Strongly Cautioned - Some material may be inappropriate
for children under 13. Signifies that the film rated may
be inappropriate for pre-teens. Parents should be especially careful about
letting their younger children attend. Rough or persistent violence is absent;
sexually-oriented-nudity is generally absent; some scenes of drug use may be
seen; some use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words may be heard.
R Restricted - Under 17 required accompanying parent or adult guardian
(age varies in some jurisdictions). Signifies that the rating board
has concluded that the film rated may contain some adult material. Parents are
urged to learn more about the film before taking their children to see it. An
R may be assigned due to, among other things, a film's use of language, theme,
violence, sex or its portrayal of drug use.
NC-17 No One 17 and Under Admitted. Signifies that the rating board
believes that most American parents would feel that the film is patently
adult and that children age 17 and under should not be admitted to it. The
film may contain explicit sex scenes, an accumulation of sexually-oriented
language, and/or scenes of excessive violence. The NC-17 designation does not,
however, signify that the rated film is obscene or pornographic in terms of
sex, language or violence.