How many curse words can be in a PG-13 movie?

Question

I am writing a movie (I'm 13) and I want to keep it pg-13. Is there a limit to curse words before it becomes R?

Answer 1

No, it's the depth of the situations requiring adult discretion that result in an R rating, not just the language. There's violence, nudity, sexual behavior, drug use and gory scenes to consider as well.



G – General Audiences All ages admitted. This movie contains nothing that would offend parents for viewing by children. Such films may contain only mild fantasy violence or crude humor. Such films have no nudity, sex or drugs of any kind. Alcohol and tobacco may be used in small amounts by adults in the movie, but not by minors, especially in older G rated films. The violence must be cartoonish in nature and/or minimal in quantity.



PG – Parental Guidance Suggested Some material may not be suitable for children. Parents are urged to give parental guidance as the motion picture contains some material that parents might not find suitable for younger children. Such films may contain only mild violence, language, drug references, brief nudity and/or implied or inferred sexual activity.



PG-13 – Parents Strongly Cautioned Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious and contain some material that parents might not find suitable for their pre-teenagers. Such films may contain moderate to strong violence, some suggestive material and nudity, some sexual situations, brief strong language and/or soft drug use.



R – Restricted Under 17 requires an accompanying parent or adult guardian. This movie contains some adult material and parents are urged to learn more about this film before taking their young children with them to see it. Such films may contain rough and/or persistent violence and suggestive material, pervasive language, strong horror, strong crude sexual content, sexually-oriented nudity, and/or hard drug use. Admittance to these films is prohibited for anyone under the age of seventeen unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Children under 17 or those who do not have ID (including state IDs and drivers' licenses) are not allowed to attend R-rated movies unaccompanied by an adult. In addition, in some theaters, children under 6 cannot see any R-rated films after 6:00 PM.



NC-17 – No One 17 & Under Admitted This film is patently adult and children are not admitted. Such films may contain brutality/pervasive extreme graphic violence, explicit sexual content, sexual assault, extreme horror, sexual language, graphic drug use, and/or aberrational behavior.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, as the world changes, so does the notion of what is acceptable and what is not. Now, it is not uncommon to hear small children using words that adults found offensive fifty years ago. Even twenty years ago. So now, cursing is considered mildly offensive by mainstream America, and as such, is allowable in PG movies. The world is ever changing, however. There was a lot more explicit nudity in films of the 60s and 70s than you would ever find today (And I mean in movies that mainstream audiences would watch.) So, I hope that answers it well enough for you. Sorry about the changes in culture. Maybe one day we'll go back to the past? One can only hope.

Answer 3

This is an old post, but for anyone following maybe this comment will help. The MPAA has regulations that preclude the use of the "F word" generally once to keep it PG-13 if the reference is not actually relating to sexual relations, but there is a follow up provision that allows for more if 2/3 of the reviewing committee (consisting of parental adults) deem it innocuous or situation appropriate (like Marty McFly's use of "holy s@#!" when seeing the Libyans bearing down on them in an early PG-13 flick. Other curse words don't get the scrutiny (such as the "S word" as being less offensive). However, if its used sparingly or context appropriately, you may get away with it. It also depends on the genre and target audience you are seeking. If its a horror movie, an R rating may actually help to market it, but if its a teen comedy, then clearly you don't want an R rating because you would be making it more difficult to show to your target audience. so, my advice would be to use it with caution and as context appropriately as you can. maybe it will walk. Good luck

Answer 4

hmmm...I think it can depend on the situation. The Double, for example, has about 15 uses of a swear word and is rated R, however the entire movie is about Suicide, which makes the R-rating much more fitting. On the other hand, I've seen some PG-13's with 3 or 4 times of swearing. However, "easy a" casually throws around cussing and still is PG-13, but is obviously much more family friendly, so it doesn't get moved to "R".

Answer 5

2 F-words and it becomes an R.

Answer 6

You can't say a huge amount of swear words...but you can say bi**...you might be able to get away with ONE f-bomb...you'd have to watch some varied PG13 movies, from different genres...

Answer 7

You can't say fck or anything... it's not really how many. It's more like the kind of swear words...

Answer 8

its more the type. like they can say "You boo boo!" instead of saying "you ******* ****!" you knpow what i am sayin'