"’Fifty Shades Of Grey’ isn’t a film that… can shock a lot of people" and is "a romance, you could even say is schmaltzy" says Jean-Francois Mary of France’s movie classification board (via Associated Press). And so, while the U.S. has given the film an R-rating, and Britain has stamped it with an 18 certificate, France has decided that children as young as 12 can see the movie. Because France. But for some folks, ‘Fifty Shades’ represents something a lot more serious.
The Washington Times reports that the National Center On Sexual Exploitation are one of the sponsors behind the domestic violence campaign #50DollarsNot50Shades, with the organization stating that some women "don’t end up like Anastasia; they often end up in a women’s shelter, on the run for years or dead.”
“The money you would have spent on movie tickets and a baby-sitter or movie tickets, popcorn and drinks will go towards serving victims of abusive relationships like the one glamorized in the 50 Shades series,” 50 Dollars Not 50 Shades says on their Facebook page. “Hollywood doesn’t need your money; abused women do.”
Meanwhile, the filmmakers themselves can’t seem to rise above the chatter about on-set battles between author E.L. James and director Sam Taylor-Johnson. The latter recently told E! she’s technically contracted for a potential sequel, saying cautiously, "I’m signed on. Let’s see how this one goes first." But don’t count on it.
According to THR, there have been "no discussions" with Taylor-Johnson about returning to direct. The battles she had with James have been widely reported, with the duo clashing on everything from the literal last word in the film, to how explicit the sex scenes needed to be. "She was given a lot of power, and she used every opportunity to flex that power," a source told the trade. "It was really challenging to control EL’s — I don’t want to say ‘crazy’ but — impulsive instincts."
Anyway, "Fifty Shades Of Grey" opens tomorrow, and if you really feel so inclined, you can watch it on one of 75 select IMAX screens. Or you can watch the "Fifty Shades Of Buscemi" trailer below… your call…