Wes Anderson's Asteroid City Given R Rating, Filmmaker to Appeal

By Spencer Perry

The Motion Picture Association has released their weekly batch of new film ratings, confirming that Wes Anderson's new movie Asteroid City has been given an R. As far as why the new movie has been given the restricted rating, the listing only says that it is "Rated R for brief graphic nudity." Below the film's rating there's also a specific note, revealing the filmmakers "Intending to appeal to the C.A.R.A. Appeals board." Movie fans may know that the MPA's rating given to a film isn't necessarily the final step for a movie as the rating can be turned over by the appeals board, but even that's no guarantee.

The Classification and Rating Administration's Appeals Board was created for scenarios like this and according to the MPA is "made up of members of the industry knowledgeable about the distribution and exhibition of motion pictures and whose sole mission is to maintain the integrity of the voluntary ratings system." At the appeal, representatives for the movie and the ratings board are present, giving their case to the appeals board (made up of anywhere from nine to fourteen members) about why the rating is accurate or why it should be overturned. 

Getting the rating lowered however isn't easy, since the goal for the CARA is that "ratings are meant to best reflect the opinion of most American parents about the suitability of that motion picture for viewing by their children." After the cases are made, rebuttals handled, and questions answered, the board then decides if the rating is "clearly erroneous" or if it's accurate. A vote is then taken and a 2/3 majority is required to turn over the rating.

Movies are largely not appealed, with a 2018 report from the MPA claiming that only 1.4% of movies had undergone the process in the entire history of the MPA. Out of the few movies that have actually appealed their rating, about 38% have actually had them overturned. Some notable movies that have appealed their rating and won include Kevin Smith's Clerks, appealing an NC-17 for an R; Clint Eastwood's 15:17 To Paris which appealed an R to a PG-13; and Mary Harron's American Psycho, which also went from an NC-17 to an R.

As for Anderson's Asteroid City, the film is set in a fictional American desert town circa 1955, and is described as follows: "The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events."

Asteroid City has an expansive cast which includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Stephen Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Grace Edwards, Aristou Meehan, Sophia Lillis, Ethan Lee, Jeff Goldblum, Rita Wilson. Asteroid City will have a limited theatrical opening on June 16, 2023, with a wider opening following on June 23, 2023.

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