Q&A

Q: Why is it that the directors and producers of movies think that they have to use the f-word in their movies? We went to see "The Judge" with Downey and Duvall, and the movie in itself was pretty good, but the filthy talk ruined it for us.

« Back to Q & A

 
Author: 
Adam Thomlison / TV Media

Unfortunately, there's no one answer for why producers put profane language into their films -- it's part stylistic decision, part marketing decision, part artistic decision (which is extra impossible to explain) -- but some do say it's getting worse.

Among the "some" are Harvard researchers, who identified a phenomenon they called "ratings creep," whereby the content of films in each MPAA ratings category seems to get more adult over time.

The study, released in 2004, looked at movies between 1992 and 2003 and found that "the criteria for rating movies became less stringent over the past decade." Basically, content that would have earned an R rating in 1992 was being allowed in PG-13 movies by 2003, PG-13 content was appearing in PG movies and so on.

Of course, your movie, "The Judge," received an R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America because of "language including some sexual references," so in this case, at least that system worked.

This brings us back to your broader question, about why the f-bomb gets dropped at all.

A "Chicago Tribune" article about the study said that it's partly due to "loosening standards in all categories," and that even the real world is getting a little more explicit. "The vice-president of the United States uses the f-word on the floor of the Senate and some newspapers print the word, both unthinkable just a few years ago."

Another more recent study (released this year by the American Academy of Pediatrics) looked at a similar phenomenon involving movie violence and saw the same "creep."

It found that the more explicit content people are exposed to on film, the less explicit they find it to be, reflecting what a "Washington Post" article on the study called "evolving cultural attitudes."

 

Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided.