Chances are not many teens have been clamoring to see Philomena, a drama opening Nov. 22 about an elderly Irishwoman (Judi Dench) who goes looking for a son she had to give up 50 years ago. But when The Weinstein Co. appealed to the Motion Picture Association of America to change the film's rating from an R — which it had received for using the F-word twice — to a PG-13, the studio wasn't just trying to broaden the movie's audience or score free publicity.
"The argument was important," says actor Steve Coogan, who co-wrote the film and costars with Dench. "The MPAA say they represent middle-American parents. It's okay to dismember someone—just don't swear."