After much hype–and criticism–the upcoming film Blue Valentine has shed its NC-17 rating, aka The Box Office Killer.
The movie, a love story about a struggling marriage, stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as the leading couple and features a (reportedly tame in the nudity department) sex scene. That scene had initially prompted the Motion Picture Association of America to slap an NC-17 rating on the film, much to the dismay of the stars and the head of the film’s studio, Harvey Weinstein. (NC-17 ratings just recently celebrated their 20th anniversary in American cinema.)
Both Gosling and Williams have stated in interviews how dismayed they were that their movie would be stuck with the rating–which prevents anyone under 17 from seeing it–due to a consensual sex scene, when horror movies that graphically depict murder and torture are routinely rated R.
(More on TIME.com: Ryan Gosling, Oddball)
However, to the joy of indie-movie fans across the country, the MPAA has now announced that the movie will not receive the more restrictive label and will simply be rated R, which should help not only the movie’s box office numbers, but also its chances of Oscar recognition. (via the New York Times)
