If you’re an Oklahoma City Thunder fan, I know what you have been thinking about this week. Will Thunder Star Paul George—affectionately nicknamed “PG-13”—stay or go during the free agency season?
I have been thinking a lot about PG-13 myself lately. No, not the NBA star, but about the MPAA movie rating of PG-13. Now that I have a child older than 13, she has asked to be able to watch certain movies that fall in this rating.
I recently looked up what the MPAA says about PG-13 movies: “Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers.”
While I strongly disagree with many of the movie ratings the MPAA has given, I actually like this definition in the abstract. I like it because it puts the onus on parents to exercise caution.
These days, a movie could contain terrible language, sexuality, even nudity, and still be marked as PG-13 and thereby marketed to 13 year-olds. That’s a major problem.
That is why parents must go beyond the simple MPAA rating. One helpful source I use is “Plugged In” online, which reviews movies from a family perspective. The second comes from Word Slingers’ blogger Michael Foust, whose insightful movie reviews each week go beyond mere content warnings to help parents and others grapple with the latest blockbuster movies.
Whether it’s the latest Marvel movie or romantic comedy, even if it’s rated PG-13, don’t assume you can safely take your teen or even yourself to see it. Take time to read what Plugged In, Michael Foust or another reliable source has to say.
After all, Christians are told to guard our hearts above all (Prov. 4:23), and that includes what movies we see.
There! Now that I’ve said my peace about movie ratings, I’d better go back to incessantly checking Twitter to see if there’s any news on the other PG-13. Go Thunder!