Kevin Smith gets his 'R'
Posted Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 9:31 AM Central
by John Couture
Not since Johnny Depp first donned pantaloons and did his best Keith Richards impersonation has there been an "R" (or in this case "Arrr") given such scrutiny in Hollywood. But today, our friends at NewsAskew inform us that Kevin Smith has won his rating appeal and his latest movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno will be released with an "R" rating without any further cuts.
Although, the CARA reasons for the rating seem pretty explicit. "Rated R for strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity and pervasive language." Sounds like your typical Kevin Smith movie to me. See the official MPAA release of the rating below.
While we would love nothing more than to take credit for this victory due to our email the MPAA campaign, I think it's fair to say that Kevin is a persuasive and captivating speaker as evidenced by his now perfect 3-0 record with the appeals board and the countless copies of An Evening With Kevin Smith that have been sold.
The bearded one has been pretty mum on the particulars of the two scenes that drew the wrath of the MPAA, except to say that one was only 14 frames long (less than one second), but a new wrinkle allows film makers to cite examples of past films to support their appeal. And with the onslaught of Judd Apatows out there, I think it's safe to say that Kevin had plenty of material to work with.
Whatever the case, the issue is settled and we can now look forward to Halloween when Zack and Miri Make a Porno hits theaters. Kevin seems to have a devout fan base and his movies usually bring in about $25 million at the box office with his two largest box office scores being Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back and Dogma, each with $30 million.
So, is this the movie that breaks his proverbial ceiling? With super-hot Seth Rogen in it, this result seems to be a given as all of his films surpassed $75 million and all but one broke $100 million at the box office. I think this one is the one that breaks Kevin into the mainstream. I'm predicting a box office of $60 million for Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
What do you think? Tell us how much you think Zack and Miri Make a Porno will make at the box office. Give us your best guess and who knows maybe we'll find something laying around the office to give away as a prize to the best guesser.
Edit: Wow, we've already gotten questions about the box office contest. For the sake of simplicity, please limit your guess to total North American box office according to BoxOfficeMojo on the street date of the eventual DVD. Please make your guesses by noon Central time on October 31, 2008. I think that pretty much satisfies our caviling legal department.