I Think The MPAA Is Just Sexually Frustrated...

I mentioned a few days ago that the MPAA was threatening Atom Egoyan with an NC-17 rating on his newest flick Where The Truth Lies, a title that sounds cooler every time I say it. Well, here's the skinny:

They gave Egoyan suggestions as to four scenes he should cut in order to give the film an R rating, which he was apparantly contractually obligated to do by ThinkFilm, the movie's distributor. They appealed the rating and even got stars Rachel Blanchard and Kevin Bacon to speak on the film's behalf, but to no avail. Egoyan trimmed three out of the four scenes in question, saying that the last scene, a menage a trois between Bacon, Blanchard and Colin Firth could not be cut because it was a crucial plot point of the film and if it was cut the movie would make any sense. The MPAA, being the understanding folks that they are, told him tough luck and maintained the MC-17 rating specifically because of the "explicit sexual content" of this menage a trois scene, despite the fact that there is no full frontal nudity in the scene. (There is, however, full frontal nudity in other scenes that the MPAA apparantly had no problem with. Go figure.)

Egoyan and ThinkFilms are now left with three options. They can reshoot the scene in question, which probably won't happen cuz the film is scheduled for release October 14th. They can digitally blur and obscure the scene until it meets with MPAA approval, a decision that Egoyan has characterized as "foolish" and I agree. Thus, the only other option, and the option that will most likely come to pass, is that ThinkFilms will waive the R rating clause in Egoyan's contract and they'll either release the film unrated or rated NC-17. If this is the case, then I would expect Egoyan to go back and add back in the three scenes that the MPAA had him edit out.

Whatever happens, I'm still left with the following two thoughts:

1. I think this movie is gonna be pretty damn good and I'd certainly rather see it in it's entirety than chopped to shit because Reagonite cronies think they know what's best for me.

2. The MPAA seriously needs to get laid.