WARNING: This blog entry is rated PG-13 for explicit language and videos containing adult themes/humor.
So you bring your kid to watch a movie. You checked the ratings and it's rated G. So you know it's safe, right? While you believe that the movie may be age appropriate (save for some jokes that only the adults can actually get the "true" meaning) you only get to realize that there might be a few not too kid friendly scenes even when the actual movie has't started yet. Yes, be weary of those PG RATED TRAILERS!
Case in point, today we watched the movie The Smurfs which is based on the cartoon characters created by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo. We grew up watching the cartoon series featuring the little blue creatures and the movie is actually one of those that I have been anxiously waiting to be released ever since the trailer went out last year. The trailer for The Smurfs always pops out from every G rated movie that came out recently so it is expected that you would have a bunch of kids watching the movie. So why the hell would trailers for these two movies be shown to prelude The Smurfs takes out any logical explanation I could think of except that the movie operator is a complete asshole.
Bad Teacher - there are a lot of adult themed scenes and humor. Cameron Diaz's hotness is not an excuse.
Horrible Bosses, ok so Jeniffer Aniston is rally sexy in this movie but even her first scene in the trailer makes me want to grab my kid and run out of the theater. By the way, loved the Prius joke.
So you see that sign at the beginning of the trailer? It says that the trailers are approved for "appropriate audiences." It means that they are appropriate for the audience of the movie being shown and not a clearance for the movie theater to show the trailer to all movies being shown. And guest what? Both Bad Teacher and Horrible Bosses are rated R (like the middle letter in the word "MORON" which is the best description I could give to those who thought of showing these trailer on a G rated movie.)
So what to do when this happens to you? Here is my take on it
- Don't over react by trying to censor the material yourself. Covering the kid's eyes and/or ears would only create the exact opposite of what you wanted to achieve as doing so would only make the kid more curious about the topic. It would be best to hold the kid's hand and try to explain that the violent scene is bad and should not be imitated. For adult humor and scenes featuring sex and/or nudity , I leave that to the discretion of the parents on how to handle it but I do caution about tagging sex as "bad" or "dirty." Trust me, you would have a harder time later talking to your kid about sex if you portray sex that way.
- To be safe, come inside the movie house only a few minutes before the actual start. This way you somehow lessen the possibility of watching an inappropriate trailer. The actual start time is posted on your ticket and in the ticket booth, so you won't miss it. These time schedules are normally accurate. Use the extra time to take a leak or buy some popcorn. Do this so that you also don't end up doing those things in the middle of the movie and probably ruin the movie not just for yourself but also for the guys sitting behind you or those in your row that you need to pass through in order to get out.
- Don't take the incident passively. As responsible parents we should try to get the authorities or the movie house administration's attention regarding the content of the trailers being shown to G rated movies and try ensure that only age appropriate materials are shown in cinemas.
As for me, right now I am looking for ways to contact Cash and Carry Cinema so that I can tell them to f___ themselves...
I mean, to
find themselves a good movie theater administrator so that he can screen the content of trailers prior to them being shown.
Relax! Watch a movie.
