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From the Motion Picture Association
 G:"General
Audiences-All Ages Admitted."
This is a film which contains nothing in theme, language, nudity and sex,
violence, etc. which would, in the view of the Rating Board, be offensive to
parents whose younger children view the film. The G rating is not a
"certificate of approval," nor does it signify a children's film.
Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common
everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated films. The
violence is at a minimum. Nudity and sex scenes are not present; nor is there
any drug use content.
 PG:"Parental
Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children."
This is a film which clearly needs to be examined or inquired into by parents
before they let their children attend. The label PG plainly states that parents
may consider some material unsuitable for their children, but the parent must
make the decision.
Parents are warned against sending their children, unseen and without inquiry,
to PG-rated movies.
The theme of a PG-rated film may itself call for parental guidance. There may
be some profanity in these films. There may be some violence or brief nudity.
But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be
strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug
use content in a PG-rated film.
The PG rating, suggesting parental guidance, is thus an alert for examination
of a film by parents before deciding on its viewing by their children.
Obviously such a line is difficult to draw. In our pluralistic society it is
not easy to make judgments without incurring some disagreement. So long as
parents know they must exercise parental responsibility, the rating serves as a
meaningful guide and as a warning.
 PG-13:"Parents
Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under
13."
PG-13 is thus a sterner warning to parents to determine for themselves the
attendance in particular of their younger children as they might consider some
material not suited for them. Parents, by the rating, are alerted to be very
careful about the attendance of their under-teenage children.
A PG-13 film is one which, in the view of the Rating Board, leaps beyond the
boundaries of the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language,
or other contents, but does not quite fit within the restricted R category. Any
drug use content will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. In effect, the
PG-13 cautions parents with more stringency than usual to give special
attention to this film before they allow their 12-year olds and younger to
attend.
If nudity is sexually oriented, the film will generally not be found in the
PG-13 category. If violence is too rough or persistent, the film goes into the
R (restricted) rating. A film's single use of one of the harsher
sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, shall initially require
the Rating Board to issue that film at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such
expletive must lead the Rating Board to issue a film an R rating, as must even
one of these words used in a sexual context. These films can be rated less
severely, however, if by a special vote, the Rating Board feels that a lesser
rating would more responsibly reflect the opinion of American parents.
PG-13 places larger responsibilities on parents for their children's
moviegoing. The voluntary rating system is not a surrogate parent, nor should
it be. It cannot, and should not, insert itself in family decisions that only
parents can, and should, make. Its purpose is to give prescreening advance
informational warnings, so that parents can form their own judgments. PG-13 is
designed to make these parental decisions easier for films between PG and R.
 R:"Restricted,
Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent Or Adult Guardian."
In the opinion of the Rating Board, this film
definitely contains some adult material. Parents are strongly urged to find out
more about this film before they allow their children to accompany them.
An R-rated film may include hard language, or tough violence, or nudity within
sensual scenes, or drug abuse or other elements, or a combination of some of
the above, so that parents are counseled, in advance, to take this advisory
rating very seriously. Parents must find out more about an R-rated movie before
they allow their teenagers to view it.
 NC-17:"No
One 17 And Under Admitted."
This rating declares that the Rating Board believes that this is a film that
most parents will consider patently too adult for their youngsters under 17. No
children will be admitted. NC-17 does not necessarily mean "obscene or
pornographic" in the oft-accepted or legal meaning of those words. The
Board does not and cannot mark films with those words. These are legal terms
and for courts to decide. The reasons for the application of an NC-17 rating
can be violence or sex or aberrational behavior or drug abuse or any other
elements which, when present, most parents would consider too strong and
therefore off-limits for viewing by their children.
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