Fascinating feature on the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and their self imposed ratings system. Even if you think you know the whole story behind the MPAA and their relationship with the studio system, you'll be surprised to find there's still a lot to learn from Kirby Dicks entertaining and eye opening documentary. What's most compelling about This Film Is Not Yet Rated however, is the mostly unexpected direction that Kirby decides to take with his material.

Going one step further than the expected filmmaker testimonials and side-by-side comparisons of "R" and "NC-17" rated films (which are extremely valuable in their own right), Kirby hires a private investigator to determine the identities of the 'secret panel' that rates these films. That being said, a sizeable portion of this film revolves around these guerrilla missions and stakeouts, hidden cameras (that are really not so hidden) and evading security guards. It's funny, it's real and it's leading us to a conclusion that we (as an audience) are very much interested in reaching.

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Super-secret spy team on the move. (Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Film Society)

In addition, Kirby and his PI's go after the even more super secret panel on the appeals team. Of course things are made even easier in this respect when Kirby submits his film, This Film Is Not Yet Rated to the board. It is given the dreaded "NC-17" so Kirby quickly resubmits for an appeal. You won't even believe the members that make up the appeals board. To say that it is a shocking revelation would be an understatement.

Interviews with John Waters, Trey Parker, Kevin Smith and many more offer an interesting insight into the whole process and what it's like to be an artist who's forced to submit to an inconsistent system. In addition, information is also provided for the novice who may not know much about the MPAA to begin with. Why and how did the ratings board come about, how does the ratings system work, why are films rated to begin with and most important of all...why should we care?

Anyone who has even a passing interest in cinema would be well advised to give this fine film a once over. But even more so than that, fans of independent cinema or artistic integrity in general, will probably get the most out of it.

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