Howard Fridkin’s Guide to MPAA Ratings

The Motion Picture Association of America’s film ratings — G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17 — are used to determine which movies are or aren’t appropriate for younger moviegoers. But what makes, for example, a woman kissing a man OK for G-viewers, while a man kissing another man is PG or PG-13 worthy?

Howard Fridkin rated movies on the MPAA’s rating board for over a decade. Now, he runs a business advising filmmakers on how to get the MPAA rating they want. He talks Kurt through the complexities of the MPAA’s rating process, and why they dictate box office success.