Hollywood makes 'R' movies, while 'G' movies makes money

Human Events, Mar 19, 1999 by D'Agostino, Joseph A

Go: Holmes and Scott Wolf from TV's "Party of Five" star in Go (due April 9). Says the Hollywood Reporter: "In its preoccupation with sex, drugs, partying and living on the edge, Go has what it takes to appeal to today's jaded teens." One 17-year-old character in the movie enters into a drug deal for lack of rent money. Other young characters are simply drug addicts.

Apple Pie: Due for release May 28, Apple Pie features a teenage boy who "masturbates into a warm apple pie," said Newsweek. The boy's mother enjoys sex with her son's friends. But the plot's main device is a pact among a group of friends to lose their virginities by prom night. Co-producer Warren Zide said that he wanted his teen-aimed movie to get an R rating because "if you remember anything funny or interesting or emotional that happened in high school, it was rated R."

Killing Mrs. Tingle: Due July 30, Killing Mrs. Tingle features Katie Holmes from "Dawson's Creek" as a student who wants to be valedictorian so much that she plots to murder a teacher.

South Park-Bigger, Longer, Uncut: Slated for summer release, South Park-Bigger, Longer, Uncut is based on Comedy Central's popular animated series featuring grade-school children who curse like sailors, a piece of human feces as a character, and a small child who is killed as a joke in every episode.

As the Dallas Morning News recently pointed out, Rrated movies "supposedly not to be viewed by 16-yearolds (without adult supervision) are being aggressively aimed toward all high school students." Responded Miramax/L.A. studio president Mark Gill, "That's not problematic to me when I turn on the television every night and see stuff [on cable] that's more explicit than what you can see in an R-rated movie."