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Playing With: Avoid the Dreaded G Rating
Basic Trope: Gratuitous swearing (or other objectionable content) added to get a higher and more marketable rating.
  • Straight:
    • Several instances of what were originally Precision F Strikes were made into gratuitous Atomic F-Bomb to secure an M rating.
    • A character says a harsh swear word like "fuck" or "cock" (not referring to a rooster) in order to bump a G rated film to PG-13.
  • Exaggerated:
    • A movie received a G rating at first review, so it was rewritten with Gratuitous Rape, Cluster and Atomic F-Bombs, Bloodier and Gorier, and Hotter and Sexier to the point where it received an R-rating... but the plot and premise didn't change.
    • A movie that would otherwise be G-rated has a horrifying scene like a graphic decapitation in an overhead view for maximum goriness resulting in an instant bump to an R-rating, if not an NC-17 rating.
  • Downplayed: The movie is on the border line of a PG rating. A few too many mild swear words like "shit", "ass", "bitch", "bastard", and "asshole" push it over.
  • Justified: The movie wanted to stay out of an age-related Ghetto.
  • Inverted:
    • A Cluster F-Bomb is changed to Gosh Dang It to Heck! to ensure a family friendly rating.
    • An otherwise R-rated horror movie has some of the "worst" scenes removed leading to instances like The Ring. Parents actually reported taking their tween kids to see it, expecting something like a slightly edgier version of Goosebumps, but instead the kids were traumatized and even the parents were terrified.
    • The creators of The King's Speech wanted it to have a PG-13 rating, but it was given an R-rating, so they tried to rework it to take out as many of Bertie's therapy swears as possible in a film that's otherwise G-rated.
  • Subverted: Viewers suspect that a show was Rated M for Money using this trope, but the director's commentary reveals that several Cluster F Bombs where in fact removed for being too gratuitous, and the movie was never in danger of a PG rating.
  • Double Subverted: The above + Lying Creator.
  • Parodied: "So, gentlemen... shall we call this case concluded? Ah, there is in fact one more thing before we can conclude this case report... Oh, shit! If I don't start fucking swearing, this episode might get a goddamn PG-rating!"
  • Zig Zagged: In the Director's commentary, one says the movie has this, the other says the movie's rating was never in question.
  • Averted: The movie crew decides to keep a G or PG rating, and even rework the film to be friendlier to a wider audience.
  • Enforced: Executive Meddling/Rated M for Money.
  • Lampshaded: "You know, in Hollywood movies you can say "fuck" once before it gets an R-rating" said in a PG-13 rated movie
  • Invoked: "We don't want a G-rating, they'll think we're selling to little kids. Add a "shit" to the script to bump it to PG"
  • Exploited: Film was submitted for rating, they were hoping for a G-rating, but got a PG-rating due to some borderline language like "damn", "hell", "sucks", "fart", "crap", and "freaking". So instead of reworking the film, they change its marketing to take advantage of the PG rating.
  • Defied: "No way. I am not going to burst into vulgarity now just because this movie needs to sell. Besides, why should we ignore the group of adults who hate seeing this trope in movies?"
  • Discussed: "Uh, didn't that seem kind of gratuitous and out of character?" "Dude, this show has to fucking sell, shit! Think we'd earn fuck-all money at a bloody G rating?"
  • Conversed: "Wow... did they really think having that Cluster F-Bomb would make the movie better?" "Nah, they probably wanted to bump its rating."

Back to the fucking page for Avoid the Dreaded G Rating, motherfucker!

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