There are a couple of funny things about the news that Fifty Shades of Grey, based on the hit mom-sanctioned sex novel by E.L. James, would be given an R-rating. First is that anybody thought the MPAA would rate it anything different given the extreme bondage fetishizing and graphic sexual content of the books. Despite some rumors about lightening up the sex to make it more audience friendly that was never going to happen if they hoped to keep the fanbase happy. The other funny thing is how the MPAA actually described the rating, which fits into their history of being vague, awkward and occasionally bizarre when handling controversial material.
Fifty Shades of Grey has officially been rated R by the super-conservative MPAA for “strong sexual content including dialogue, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity, and for language.” Unusual behavior. So that's what all you Fifty Shades fans out there have to look forward to, some "unusual behavior". That's one way of putting how Christian Grey puts it to Anastasia Steele, I guess.
Personally, I was hoping to see the film earn the dreaded NC-17 to see just how loyal its fans truly are and if casual moviegoers would be curious enough to buy a ticket. So there you have it. Get the kids a sitter and check out Fifty Shades of Grey when it opens on February 13th.
