iRewind Talk: How did Uncle Buck get a PG rating

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Posted by Mavs (Member # 350) on :

I am home with my 10 year old daughter and she has one of her little over for the afternoon. This friend brings over Uncle Buck and the two of them ask me if they can watch it and I see no problem with it since it is a PG rating.

My wife got home and went to check on the girls and walked in during the party scene and was going to watch the end of the movie with them. She nearly lost it when she sees two teenagers on a bed obviously close to having sex. She did lose it when she sees a guy pulling the pants down of a young lady and then sees these two people obviously in a sexual position.

My wife and I were shocked when we watched these scenes again and you see some type of black patch near this girls private parts that to my wife and I looked like it could be this girls pubic hair.

She nearly killed me when she found out that I gave our daughter permission to watch this movie.

How in the world did they get this into a PG rating or how did this movie not get like a PG-13 or even R?

Posted by Ali_with_an_i (Member # 27) on :

The PG rating stands for Parental Guidance. That means you should have viewed the film first and decided weather or not the content was suitable for your children(thats what the PG rating is intended for). I agree that if teens were in a sexual situation, it should have gotten at least a PG-13. This system is not perfect but it's all we have.

Posted by P_a_u_l (Member # 1022) on :

Please read this response remembering that I am a father of two young girls:

I remember the first scene you mention - it's actually pretty pivotal to the plot, so taking it out would damage the movie, and the ratings guys probably viewed this as not warranting in itself a rating higher than PG.

As far as the second scene goes, I really can't recall it. I'll need to view the movie again to see what it is you mean, but it sounds possible that having been surprised by one scene, you were expecting more, and therefore were not dissapointed. You say that it 'looked like it could be' something you object to. To get a PG rating (especially back in the 80s) I'd say it certainly would not have been pubic hair, otherwise it'd be all over the web. Maybe you are seeing stuff that isn't there, just because you are lokking for more evidence to back up your previous concern over the movie's content.

Still, if you view all of the movies and tv shows that your daughter watches before she does, it'll never happen again.

- Paul

Posted by Janette (Member # 252) on :

I've seen Uncle Buck quite a few times and I remember that scene. I understand your disgust, but I think you are trying to see things that weren't there. She had underwear on. They were like a black lace and it could probably could be taken as something other than what it was.

Posted by McFly (Member # 354) on :

*I think I can see pubic hair*

I think you're looking too hard (sorry, couldn't resist).

Ali brings up a good point. Parents are being warned that there may be content unsuitable for kids. It wasn't heavy on the sex tones so it got a PG.

But like PG-13, parents are "strongly cautioned" meaning "Look out! This has some heavy stuff in it".

Posted by The Wizard (Member # 533) on :

Something I've noticed between the PG films of the 80s and the PG films of the last 5 years or so is that they managed to "get away" with more adult content in 80s PG films.

Things are getting too politically correct in some areas, and films is one area - a lot of UK DVDs are cut for certain content (headbutts, flick/butterfly knives & num-chukas, however you spell that) and some are cut by studios to get a lower rating so what you get on DVD isn't what was shown in the cinema.

The tv broadcasters also cut films sometimes, for years I had Explorers taped off tv and only when I got the VHS last year I noticed they cut the "elephantitis is when something gets ugly and bloated like your ass" and another line or two, yet the film has a U (Universal for all) rating...

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