By now you’ve likely heard that Derek Cianfrance’s relationship drama, “Blue Valentine” starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams was slapped with a dreaded (and ridiculous) NC-17 rating, apparently due to some scandalous sex scene (the married couple argue over sex and then end up in a fight; we’ve seen the film, and it’s emotionally tough to watch, but not graphic in any sense of the word).
It’s one of the stupidest decisions the MPAA has made in their long history of asinine decisions. Anyhow, the Weinstein Company has released a statement on the matter, they sounds civil, thanks those who have spoken out about this absurdity and sound like they respectfully want to appeal the rating without ruffling the notoriously conservative MPAA’s feathers. Here’s the statement:
“We want to express our deepest gratitude to our colleagues in the industry and in the media for their recent outpouring of support for Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine after the film surprisingly received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. We are taking every possible step to contest the MPAA’s decision. We respect the work of the MPAA and we hope, after having a chance to sit down with them, they will see that our appeal is reasonable, and the film, which is an honest and personal portrait of a relationship, would be significantly harmed by such a rating.”
We’re honestly not sure what good TWC’s appeal will do, but we hope for the best. In a perfect world both Gosling and Williams would be receiving Oscar nominations, but it remains to be seen if TWC will have the marketing dollars to push them for nods. If the film does retain its NC-17 rating, it’s probably dead in the water, both with audiences and Academy voters which would be a huge fucking shame. The picture is currently scheduled to hit theaters December 31, 2010. Here’s the recent trailer and our film review from Cannes.
