The MPAA and the Growing Christian Film Industry

Their first film Flywheel had a budget of $20,000 and grossed $37,000 at the box office after premiering locally and in at least two neighboring cities. Sherwood Pictures released two more films, Facing the Giants and Fireproof, with a third set for a September 2011 release: Courageous.

The MPAA was formed in 1922 when a few of the big film production companies joined in an effort to self-regulate so that the government would not feel the compulsion to do so. They began censoring film with the now infamous  Production Code or “Hays Code,” which became a sore spot for the industry with its stringent list of don’ts and its either/or approach to approving films (either “helpful” or “harmful”). In the late sixties the Hays Code was replaced with a graded rating system that has evolved into the system we have today.

In 1990 the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA – the MPAA’s board responsible for assigning ratings) added a new dimension to their ratings with short phrases describing reasons for movie ratings.

The Salt Lake City Examiner has a humorous piece chronicling some of the more, uh, let’s say “interesting” reasons for film ratings:

http://www.examiner.com/movie-events-in-salt-lake-city/mpaa-s-garden-of-earthly-delights-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-ratings-system

My favorite: Twister. Rated PG-13 for “intense depiction of very bad weather.”

According to ABC.com the MPAA butted heads with Sherwood in 2006 when they issued a PG rating to Facing the Giants, but it was not the rating that bothered the Kendrick brothers, it was the alleged reason: that the film was overtly Christian.

The MPAA denied the charge saying that this was a misunderstanding and that the film received the rating due to its mature themes. The official reason for the rating on the CARA website is “PG for some thematic elements.”

But now, the MPAA has assigned Sherwood’s new film Courageous a PG-13 rating for “some violence and drug content.” So far, Sherwood has not issued any formal complaint, but has issued a statement on its social networking platforms that reads:

“The MPAA gave a PG-13 rating to COURAGEOUS for violence and drug content. Both of these elements are within the context of the film’s law enforcement storyline. The movie shows drugs being confiscated and includes intense action scenes. Following the model of Scripture, morality is shown positively, while criminal behavior is shown with undesirable consequences.”

This is not the first film produced by Evangelicals that has landed a PG-13 rating, but Sherwood is the most successful avowedly Christian production company to date, so it paves the way for other Christian filmmakers to venture further into territory that may have otherwise been considered ungodly or evil.

So far the response from Sherwood’s fans has been overwhelmingly positive. Here is a sampling of the reactions from Facebook:

“I believe this movie has been ordained by God, and I have faith this will not hinder the success and powerful message of the film!! Keeping the cast and crew in my prayers!!!”

“don’t worry, fans of sherwood pictures trust you more than the MPAA!”

“It all comes down to it all abought God. Who hates God? Satan and his ppl. It is ok that there are parts in a movie with drugs, saying bad words, sex ect it is never given a hard time. But if a move on Gods word and how god can chage ppls l…ife from being all bad to good then it is no good and the unsaved start to cause problems. I am looking forward in seeing this movie when it comes out. Yes God will use this for his will.”

Take note of this moment. To use a culturally appropriate metaphor, what we are witnessing is a changing of wine skins. In my experience, while many Christians would not admit it publicly, most do not have a problem with watching movies that carry a harder rating. They are more concerned with the reason for the rating, and now, with Sherwood’s Courageous, they can publicly state this sentiment without fear of appearing “worldly.”

To end this post let me step out of my official “view from nowhere” cloak and make a few editorial comments that do not reflect the viewpoint of RealLab. This is my own opinion. Take it for what it is.

I am a Christian. I self-identify as an Evangelical and was raised as such.

As a child and even as a student at Christian college I can remember times when there was a prevailing sentiment that R-rated movies were off-limits. At one point I even applied with an organization that required appointees sign away their right to ever view an R-Rated movie. Part of this comes from a biblical admonition to refrain from the appearance of evil.

But it is often overlooked that the very Bible we hold dear is rife with content that would merit an R-rating any day of the week. Check out the book of Judges sometime. Quentin Tarantino and the Coens could have a field day with the situations presented therein. Human evil is on display in high definition with no apology or on-the-nose moralizing.

So to my Christian friends and family I would like to say: do not judge a film or story by its rating, or even its objectionable content. Without contrast, good stories cannot be told. Minor chords, shadows and dirt are all part of this world. Ignoring them only candy-coats the reality of a fundamental biblical doctrine all Evangelicals already embrace: the Fall. You do not need to feel bad if films you like or films you make include negative elements. Even in Jesus’ parables we are given depictions that raise more questions than answers.