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BY ALYSSA CAVERLEY
“Movie stars from Ann Bancroft in 'The Graduate' to Shirley MacLaine in 'Rumor Has It' — they’ve all done it, smoked on the big screen. If the CDC has its way any future movie that shows an actor smoking will automatically get an R-rating." (HLN)
That’s right, smoking in movies could become an R-rated activity. Let’s start with the CDC’s study — Fox News explains what researchers found.
“The CDC’s report counted the tobacco use shown in America’s top biggest splits at the box office each year between 1991 and 2009. After multiplying the number of smoking incidents by the number of tickets sold to each movie, they found billions of smoking impressions. Half of those movies with smoking last year were rated PG-13.”
A blogger for Entertainment Weekly questions those findings and doesn’t think people are really lighting up on the big screen these days.
“…personally I feel like I hardly ever see anyone smoking in movies anymore. On 'Mad Men,' sure, but in movies? Not so much — certainly not compared with the old, pre-PC days when seemingly everyone in movies smoked and no one gave it a second thought.”
A Time magazine writer says by giving filmmakers a choice between an R-rated kids flick or a G-rated smoke-free movie, the choice is simple.
“Forcing an R-rating on movies would create a powerful incentive, the authors of the new report write, to leave smoking out of movies that are marketed to kids and teens.”
But if that’s the case, HLN questions what would happen to some of the famous kids movies like 101 Dalmatians.
“You know, it made me think, as we were talking in our morning meeting, what about Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians?”
“Could you imagine an R-rating on 101 Dalmatians? How is that going to work, exactly?”
Newsweek features a statement from famous director James Cameron who was criticized for including smoking in Avatar – rated PG-13. Cameron responded to the criticism:
“Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver, was never intended to be a role model for teenagers. ...I don’t believe in the dogmatic idea that no one in a movie should smoke. Movies should reflect reality.’”
So, should smoking in movies be a serious R-rated habit? Let us know what you think in our comment section.
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