[News/Film] [USA] Weinstein negotiates to get transgender drama '3 Generations' a PG-13 rating, firing up parents organization

[Stephanie Stevens]

Los Angeles Times, CA, USA


April 27, 2017, 9:33 p.m.

Weinstein negotiates to get transgender drama '3 Generations' a PG-13 rating, firing up parents organization

Jevon Phillips

[Video: 3 GENERATIONS - Official US Trailer - The Weinstein Company]

The Weinstein Co. scored a win Thursday when the production company and the Motion Picture Association of America were able to agree on the rating for the Weinstein film "3 Generations," changing the movie's previous R rating to a more family-friendly PG-13.

The film stars Naomi Watts, Elle Fanning and Susan Sarandon. Fanning plays a New York teenager seeking to transition from female to male. Watts portrays her mother, and Sarandon is her lesbian grandmother.

Company head Harvey Weinstein, with support from GLAAD, challenged the R rating. According to a release from the studio, cuts were made to the film as a compromise to ensure the PG-13 rating.

“‘3 Generations’ is a film that all families should be able to see,” said GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement. “When audiences around the world meet transgender teen Ray and see the love that his family shows him, it will not only send a powerful message to LGBTQ youth, but to families of all types. The MPAA made the right decision and once again The Weinstein Company dared to tell culture-changing LGBTQ stories that Hollywood too often shies away from.”

Weinstein added, “It’s organizations such as GLAAD, the ones that don’t shy away from the difficult conversations, that are the reason we are able to move this country forward and really shift the cultural conversations."

Not all were happy about the decision.

The Parents Television Council, a nonpartisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment, responded to the change with surprise and disappointment, saying "we are clearly on a path where the content ratings systems protect the interests of Hollywood, not parents."

“3 Generations” opens in New York and Los Angeles on May 5 and expands on May 12.

The full response from the PTC is below:

“We understand and agree that this film centers on a very important topic. But the trustworthiness of the MPAA’s content rating system is also important. In light of today’s announcement, one of two things has happened: Either the production company has removed the specific instances of content that required it to be R-rated, or the MPAA has chosen to disregard its own standards for what is acceptable in PG-13 films. We don’t yet know the answer to that question, but there is no third option. Either parents are going to be able to rely on a system based on standards that were put in place to help them, or they won’t,” said PTC President Tim Winter.

“Harvey Weinstein said he spoke with Joan Graves at MPAA extensively about his film’s rating. If Weinstein can speak with Ms. Graves at MPAA extensively and secure a reduced rating, then why can’t parents speak with Ms. Graves extensively and secure a higher age rating, if they feel it is appropriate?

“Whether it’s MPAA or the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board, we are clearly on a path where the content ratings systems protect the interests of Hollywood, not parents.”


http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-april-weinstein-negotiates-to-get-3-1493353603-htmlstory.html