When Deadpool came out earlier this year, it set box office records as the highest grossing R-rated movie. Which is a big deal considering an R-rating divides audiences like no other. Some see it as a marker of gratuitous content: explicit violence, sex, or language that’s meant merely to exclude young audiences. Or at least young audiences unaccompanied by an adult. Because of this, R-rated movies generally don’t pull in big numbers. Occasionally there will be an exception like Passion of the Christ or The Hangover. Even Seth MacFarlane’s comedy Ted managed to do pretty well. But Deadpool was neither a bloody tragedy nor a raunchy comedy (in a way it was a bit of both). What it had going for it was the fact that it was a superhero movie coming out during a golden age of the genre where most of its competition had more liberal ratings. And despite that, it was a hit! And with the recent release of the Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg comedy Sausage Party, it seems that movie is trying to do for animated films what Deadpool did for superhero films.
It should be noted though that while both were marketed as such, neither Deadpool nor Sausage Party is the first R-rated movie of their kind. Movies like The Crow and Blade exist in the comic book genre, while animated films ranging from Akira to the South Park movie have carried that notorious rating. And let’s not forget 2016’s very own Batman: The Killing Joke, which was both.
How were these films so successful though where others had often failed. Well the marketing for one. Deadpool’s marketing campaign was ingenious in how it teased the character through online ads and social media, giving audiences an idea of the character without spoiling any of the films’ jokes. Similarly, Sausage Party had an outrageous trailer that easily grabs your attention. It also helps that these films were both comedies which audiences can connect with easier in an R-rated context than horrors or thrillers. It’s got that enjoyable edge to the humour, a taboo nature that appeals to teenagers, and when done well, adults too.
Because of Deadpool’s success, a rebirth in the R rating has occurred. Zack Snyder in an attempt to rectify the negative reception of Batman v. Superman, released an R-rated cut to gain back some fans, and there have been outcries by a vocal minority to do the same with other superhero movies like Suicide Squad and Justice League. It’s almost certain that an upcoming Wolverine movie which is supposedly going to be Hugh Jackman’s swansong as the character, will be Restricted.
This trend is both a good and bad thing. An R rating should be a means to enhance a film but not the film’s defining gimmick. Some fans may hate me for this but Deadpool didn’t necessarily need to be R-rated. The anti-heroism of the title character, his fourth wall breaks, and the general tongue-in-cheek attitude of the film was enough that it could have still been decent as a PG-13 movie. But it did benefit from the R rating, allowing it to express those attributes more humourously and faithfully. Sausage Party on the other hand had no identity outside of the central novelty of it looking like a Pixar or DreamWorks movie, but with the ability to swear excessively and make tons of sexual references. And though Sausage Party was fine, I’m not looking forward to the slew of copycats that may be green-lit just to replicate its effect. Unless something new and clever is done with it, an R-rating can easily get tired and clichéd. At the end of the day it doesn’t mean much. Setting aside the ridiculousness of the MPAA’s guidelines that find swearing, nudity, and drug use warranting of an R, while copious amounts of violence and destruction can fall under PG-13; an R rating will rarely affect things such as story cohesion or engaging characters. Being a little more violent or vulgar, sexual or profane doesn’t make or break a movie.
So I hope this R rating trend produces more films where it’s a beneficial additive to the tone, character, or sensibility, than merely a series of unnecessary attempts to be “mature” (in fact a lot of R-rated comedies are frequently immature). We may see a few more styles of film try it like Deadpool and Sausage Party, or a number of copycats (Seth Rogen apparently has a number of R-rated animations planned), but a movie having this exclusive rating doesn’t make it good or bad. Let’s hope Hollywood knows that.
It should be noted though that while both were marketed as such, neither Deadpool nor Sausage Party is the first R-rated movie of their kind. Movies like The Crow and Blade exist in the comic book genre, while animated films ranging from Akira to the South Park movie have carried that notorious rating. And let’s not forget 2016’s very own Batman: The Killing Joke, which was both.
How were these films so successful though where others had often failed. Well the marketing for one. Deadpool’s marketing campaign was ingenious in how it teased the character through online ads and social media, giving audiences an idea of the character without spoiling any of the films’ jokes. Similarly, Sausage Party had an outrageous trailer that easily grabs your attention. It also helps that these films were both comedies which audiences can connect with easier in an R-rated context than horrors or thrillers. It’s got that enjoyable edge to the humour, a taboo nature that appeals to teenagers, and when done well, adults too.
Because of Deadpool’s success, a rebirth in the R rating has occurred. Zack Snyder in an attempt to rectify the negative reception of Batman v. Superman, released an R-rated cut to gain back some fans, and there have been outcries by a vocal minority to do the same with other superhero movies like Suicide Squad and Justice League. It’s almost certain that an upcoming Wolverine movie which is supposedly going to be Hugh Jackman’s swansong as the character, will be Restricted.
This trend is both a good and bad thing. An R rating should be a means to enhance a film but not the film’s defining gimmick. Some fans may hate me for this but Deadpool didn’t necessarily need to be R-rated. The anti-heroism of the title character, his fourth wall breaks, and the general tongue-in-cheek attitude of the film was enough that it could have still been decent as a PG-13 movie. But it did benefit from the R rating, allowing it to express those attributes more humourously and faithfully. Sausage Party on the other hand had no identity outside of the central novelty of it looking like a Pixar or DreamWorks movie, but with the ability to swear excessively and make tons of sexual references. And though Sausage Party was fine, I’m not looking forward to the slew of copycats that may be green-lit just to replicate its effect. Unless something new and clever is done with it, an R-rating can easily get tired and clichéd. At the end of the day it doesn’t mean much. Setting aside the ridiculousness of the MPAA’s guidelines that find swearing, nudity, and drug use warranting of an R, while copious amounts of violence and destruction can fall under PG-13; an R rating will rarely affect things such as story cohesion or engaging characters. Being a little more violent or vulgar, sexual or profane doesn’t make or break a movie.
So I hope this R rating trend produces more films where it’s a beneficial additive to the tone, character, or sensibility, than merely a series of unnecessary attempts to be “mature” (in fact a lot of R-rated comedies are frequently immature). We may see a few more styles of film try it like Deadpool and Sausage Party, or a number of copycats (Seth Rogen apparently has a number of R-rated animations planned), but a movie having this exclusive rating doesn’t make it good or bad. Let’s hope Hollywood knows that.
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