“Booksmart” definitely earns its R-rating. There’s no denying that. That being said, the film is far less graphic than many other comedy films, particularly when it comes to sexual content. However, according to social media and the film’s director Olivia Wilde, “Booksmart” is being censored on airplanes and the scene that is being deemed too graphic seems to point out a blatant double-standard.
According to reports, the scene in question features two female characters at a party engaging in an intimate sex scene. However, there’s no nudity and the scene is completely integral to the film, as a whole. But apparently, it’s far too much for viewers on airplanes.
Upon learning this fact, Wilde tweeted, “This is truly a bummer. There is no nudity in this scene. What makes it too obscene for airplane viewing?”
Later, Wilde was asked about it by Variety, where she elaborated on the situation.
“I don’t understand it,” Wilde said. “There’s censorship airline to airline of films, which there must be some kind of governing board to determine. We rated a certain way. If it’s not X rated, surely it’s acceptable on an airplane.”
She continued, “There’s insane violence of bodies being ripped in half, and yet a love scene between two women is censored from the film. And it’s such an integral part of the character’s journey. I don’t understand it. My heart just broke. It’s confusing. I’m trying to get to the bottom of it”
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Variety also broke the news to star Kaitlyn Dever, who is one of the two women in the scene that is being censored.
“It’s ridiculous,” Dever said. “I don’t even know what to say to that. I’m shocked.”
She added, “That makes me so mad!”
As Wilde says, there are plenty of instances where films get censored for airlines, and it’s an issue that has been brought up time after time. However, normally the censorship is due to nudity restrictions or some sort of extreme scenes. As anyone who has seen “Booksmart” can attest, the scene between Dever and her co-star Diana Silvers might be steamy (as sex scenes normally are) but is far from graphic.
We’ll have to wait and see how Annapurna and Wilde deal with this issue moving forward.
This is truly a bummer. There is no nudity in this scene. What makes it too obscene for airplane viewing? What airline? https://t.co/5QwlomY2fR
— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) October 27, 2019
Olivia Wilde on #Booksmart's apparent airline censorship: "It's such an integral part of this character's journey, my heart just broke" #HonoraryOscars pic.twitter.com/QvZRq28h5x
— Variety (@Variety) October 28, 2019
Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein will "get to the bottom" of #Booksmart's queer storyline being removed from an airline version: "@oliviawilde's on the case, something will happen. She's a powerful woman" #GovernorsAwards pic.twitter.com/0h4OaPGgrq
— Variety (@Variety) October 28, 2019
