'Philomena' Will Be PG-13, Thanks to James Bond
After a ferocious-yet-funny campaign, The Weinstein Company announced today that it successfully got the rating of Philomena changed from an R to a PG-13. But they couldn't have done it without Bond, James Bond.
The MPAA had designated Philomena an R-rated film due to two instances of the f-word being used in the film about an elderly Irish woman seeking to find her son with the help of a journalist. As part of their appeal, The Weinstein Company revived Judi Dench's Bond character M—with the permission of Bond producer Barbara Broccoli—for a pair of videos in which she expressed her disapproval with their choice.
"We owe this victory to Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond series, Daniel Craig, and Sam Mendes, who because of their relationship with Judi Dench, gave permission to spoof the ratings system using the M character," Harvey Weinstein said in a statement. "We know that went a long way into shedding light on the themes of the movie and the fact that the PG-13 rating was correct. We are glad the MPAA has a good sense of humor and with the cooperation of Barbara and her team, it was proven once again no one does it better than James Bond." Weinstein also issued congratulations to Steve Coogan, who co-wrote and stars in the movie, who "defended the case personally" at the MPAA.
RELATED: Judi Dench's New Movie Has an F-Word Problem
Coogan told the Wire yesterday that the uses of profanity were "absolutely essential."
This article was originally published at http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/11/philomena-will-be-pg-13-thanks-james-bond/71574/
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