Wes Anderson's Asteroid City Successfully Appeals R-Rating
Earlier this year came word that Wes Anderson's new movie Asteroid City had been given an R-rating by the MPA. Confirmation that it would be given the "Restricted" rating due to "brief graphic nudity," was revealed in February along with the reveal that Anderson would appeal the rating. As film fans might know, appealing a rating by the MPA is very uncommon, and winning that appeal is even more unlikely; that said, Anderson has done it. In their latest weekly press release, the MPA has confirmed that Asteroid City has been rated PG-13 after a successful appeal by the filmmaker.
Though the previous rating was only for "brief graphic nudity," the MPA's new PG-13 rating for the film reads: "Rated PG-13 on appeal for brief graphic nudity, smoking and some suggestive material. It's difficult to say at this point what this rating means with regard to whatever "brief graphic nudity" there is in the film, but it seems likely that whatever it is does not have a sexual context around it, which the MPA allows under the PG-13 rating. We can only speculate if this was Anderson's argument in front of the Appeal's Board, but it sure seems likely.
A 2018 report from the MPA previously claimed that only 1.4% of movies have been through the appeals process in the entire history of the organization. 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.