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THURSDAY UPDATE: The MPAA’s Classification and Rating Appeals Board today upheld the “R” rating given to The Tillman Story for “language.”
The Weinstein Co announced today that the filmmakers are appealing the “R” ratings which the MPAA just gave The Tillman Story documentary about to be released in theaters August 20th. Of course, far be it from Weinsteins to miss an opportunity to generate controversy and enjoy the ensuing free publicity for their film. (Witness Kevin Smith’s ratings battles on his TWC releases…) But in this case director Amir Bar Lev and producer John Battsek have an excellent argument when the rating will be appealed on August 12th in Los Angeles. According to The Weinstein Co, the MPAA gave the film that “R” rating based on its “excessive language”.
“Of course there is excessive language,” states John Battsek. “This is a film that follows a truly exemplary family torn apart by the death of their loved one and the barrage of government deceit they encountered in their pursuit of the honest truth. We should be looking at this film as a way to show our younger generation the power of true family values and the sometimes unfortunate failings of our government.”
Agreed Bar Lev: “The language in this film is not gratuitous. I think this is how many people would react when faced with the unthinkable. Giving this film an ‘R’ rating prevents young people from seeing this film; the very people who should be exposed to a great American like Pat Tillman.”
“This is one of the most important films I’ve distributed in my career” Harvey Weinstein said in his company’s press release, “and I want my teenage daughter, and the nation’s young adults to be able to watch Pat’s story. We need to learn from this story and limiting who can see it is not the answer.”
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Yes, they may be doing it for free publicity, but they are 100% right. This MPAA argument has gone on for too long with no change. All american should be able to see this. This is censorship in its worst form with the irony being that is what Pat Tillman was willing to die for. Parents should take their kids anyway. Let kids take field trips to see it. So many kids are so lost in the electronic devices they have no clue what’s really going on out there. Let everyone learn the cost of this war and any war and what people are willing to do for us.
Unfortunately, regardless of the press people will still be more excited for vampires and hogwarts.
If parents want their kids to see this, they should take them. If kids want to see it, they should ask their parents to take them.
An R rating doesn’t ultimately stop kids from seeing R-rated movies.
I certainly understand filmmaker issues with the R rating, but from an ability to sell tickets perspective, I seriously doubt many kids under 17 were going to buy tickets to see this doc sans adult.
This is all about marketing (ie network restrictions on where spots for R Rated product can be shown), as well as the obvious PR a ratings battle can offer.
I side with the rating board. There’s a ridiculous amount of foul language in movies nowadays. I’m sick of children hearing it. No, I don’t liove in Holly-weird or New York. I live in the Midwest. Hollywood, you remember the Midwest right? That large area you completely ignore when making your vapid, sex-driven, foul language movies?
“holly-weird?” why the hell are you on a site all about the industry of hollywood if you’re so above it all?
I actually do live in L.A. and my child doesn’t hear this “ridiculous amount of foul language in movies” you speak of, because I actually monitor what he watches. there’s been a lot of great family movies this year (How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3, Despicable Me to name a few) with no language and no sex, so I don’t know what kind of movies you’ve been trying to take your kids to, but you might want to do a little research before you go so they aren’t exposed to material not meant for them.
Dude, why are you even reading a site like Deadline? Are you even aware of what this film is? It’s a documentary with no scripted dialogue. It’s real people, really expressing themselves.
@Roger – You realize using the phrase Holly-weird invalidates anything you say after that? It makes you just as prejudiced against Hollywood as you accuse it of being against the midwest.
What does living in Hollywood, New York, or the Midwest have to do with anything?
Should one comment about a rating before actually knowing whether there is basis to this appeal? Perhaps an understanding of the material itself would shed some light? Perhaps Bowling for Columbine should have been rated R for its terrible violence?? Please are you seriously hanging your hat on living in the midwest?
Parents perhaps could actually parent. Dad can you give me a ride to see this documentary? No you cant go see something that might educate you, go see Spiderman.
As someone who lives and lives by this system U’ve denigrated, I’ve got two words for U – “Dead People.” We may be putting out sex and vapidity (and yes, I do understand that), but all of U in the Midwest want nothing but vampires (Twilights), zombies (TV & film) and ghosts (Ghost Hunters is #1 on Syfy). To me, that’s as “weird” as what U accuse us of putting out there.
If you don’t like foul language, then don’t take your kids to see the movies. Or maybe you’re just too lazy to actually spend time parenting, and you want the MPAA to do it for you?
America is awash in profanity and sexuality. Video games, musical lyrics, TV and multi-plex theatres put all manner of material into the hands and minds of pre-adolescents. When the MPAA rates a documentary R, it smacks of a political agendas and should be cause to call for the scraping of the MPAA in total.
If a documentary on the Gaza flotilla massacre was released, the MPAA could rate it R for violence and profanity. The MPAA’s time has passed.
Sad story. However, people are using the plight of Pat Tillman for their own agendas. Tillman was a true patriot who suffered great misfortune and some would say injustice. His is surely not the first military death under similarly controversial circumstances but due to his high profile I can almost understand why there was a cover-up to begin with. During “Dessert Storm” nearly half of our soldiers lost was to friendly fire. I’m sure Pat Tillman was aware of the risks he faced. He made a great sacrifice because he believed in the war and his country so it would be ironic to use his death as a symbol for why the war should end. Any attempt to exploit this man’s life and/or death for personal or political gain is shameful.
RIP Pat Tillman and God Bless America.
Pat Tillman harbored serious doubts about US motives behind the Iraq war and the leadership abilities of George Bush and senior military commanders. He wrote extensively about his growing disillusionment in his diaries (his final diary was burned along with his uniform and helmet – in direct conflict with military policies). His family was lied to about the circumstances surrounding his death for months. You should read “Boots on the Ground by Dusk” as well as “Where Men Win Glory”.
And then see this movie when it comes out. The only way to honor Tillman is to educate yourself about the man.
Curtis, the Bush administration beat you to the punch: the already exploited Tillman’s death by lying about the circumstances surrounding it, which is why the Tillman family had to uncover the truth.
@Slappy
If you want me to be honest I think Tillman although well meaning was very naive. I believe this naivete is what makes young people such great soldiers who die for the decisions of old men butdo we really need the Tillman family or Harvey Weinstein to teach us that?
Some of us are in search of nobility and honor in a world rife with DECEPTION and treachery. I say honor the man, same as we honor all fallen soldiers but lets not attempt to turn him into a martyr when this happens all the time in war.
Really?…seriously there is a Tillman Movie…really?
I hate to come off insensitive…but, lets see average college player in Arizona, average NFL player, quits the NFL after 9/11 enlist goes and fights in Afghanistan, has a GI Joe, lets take charge, I’m the leader in charge of this operation Hero complex, so bad his own battalion pops a cap in him, just so they can follow the rules that were handed to them without getting them killed.
Just because he left a 500k a year job in the NFL?, NEWSFLASH there are doctors, lawyers, indie film producers, pharmacist, school teachers, hardware store managers, dentist, sanitation engineers and optometrist that all have been left for dead on enemy soil, I don’t get what makes him more important….the military is made up of men that left their jobs to fight for what they felt was right.
I think The Tillman family needs to move on and stop trying to cram their sons choices and achievements down our throats, sports radio stations have already stopped taking the Tillman families calls being they are even tired of them coming on the air and forcing listeners to believe he is and was a hero…he was a person..nothing less nothing more.
But the film is about the cover-up that surrounded his death – the way the military kept the details of his death from his family for weeks, instructed members of the military to lie to his family, burned his notebooks. The whole fiasco was an insult to his family and the film is intended not to necessarily portray Tillman as a hero, but to highlight the cover ups and deception perpetrated by the military/government in the wake of Tillman’s death.
This movie is about how the army/government lied about the way Tillman died Lt. Dan Taylor!
You don’t come off as insensitive. You come off as stupid.
This is clearly just a ploy to get a lower MPAA rating to get more exposure and lose less $ on distributing a very unmarketable film to American audiences. Mr. Weinstein could care less who SHOULD see the film and who will see the film.
Dan Taylor US Army please go see the film. I saw it in New York last night. Yes he was only human but the film is not about the Tillman family portraying their son as a hero – it’s more complex and meaningful. Their goal is to let people understand that he was not a superhero who following the jingoistic battle cry of the war machine – he was a real person who took more meaning from befriending and spending time with his fellow soldiers than shooting his gun. He was a person nothing less but he was something more – he was a “famous” american whose death could be manipulated to represent agendas that didn’t truly represent him or his own beliefs. That’s why the film is important. His death is not more important than the death of other young men but the story the film tells is important for americans to understand
@ Lt. Dan Taylor
Have you even seen the film or are you simply spouting off?
Perhaps he is a symbol (something often used in intelligent storytelling) for something larger than himself. Perhaps his family’s grief is representative of other’s and even a nation’s grief over the Iraq war. Perhaps this has nothing to do with choice, sports or political agenda and is simply the story of a man who died fighting for his country.
If you don’t like the film, then so be it. If you think the this is marketing, then comment on that. But you just judged a man and his family based on nothing but your knowledge of pop culture and an opinion. This is not fiction, this really happened. Whether or not I agree with him, Tillman died fighting for something he believed in which is more than I can say for myself. I would imagine it is more than you can say either. Show some courtesy if not some respect.
Film sounds like a flop. Although this story was somewhat interesting a couple of years ago nobody cares about it any more.
A documentary about a football player (hint: young man) whon enlists inthe Army(hint:lots of young men) and people are surprised about strong language? The MPAA clearly has no idea about the real world, the stresses of combat and how people really express themselves.
The Army LIED about the death of Pat Tillman to use it as a narrative about heroism. The family wanted to know the truth about their son’s killing and discovered that major players including Bush underlings and generals were covering their ass in their son’s corpse.
Guess some people around here love to be lied to – and let’s not forget the MPAA slapping an R on the holocaust documentary a few days back. Yet this is the same MPAA that gave Will Smith’s I Robot a PG-13 even with foul language cause they don’t want to hurt their cash cow’s career.
It’s regrettable that anyone would post the comments that the Army guy did about this young man. The main thing here is that he was killed by friendly fire, a general played a major role in a cover-up and then the general got a promotion from it and only agreed to leave after some stupid comments n a plane. Sorry the film was made. It’s primarily a docudrama for TV and I don’t think it will get much play in any theaters, but that may be what Harvey wants anyway. Probably make more money internationally and they’ll put it on 10 screens here? No, maybe 11.
So if my intentions are good – cursing has no adverse impact on those they are trying to protect by the rating? Huh? So…if two people are married and in love – let’s show people having sex too. Logic makes no sense – this is a pr stunt.
Dear Lt. Dan Taylor.
I am appalled by your aggressive and abusive comment. In other countries, falling soldiers are honored and the Military takes care of them and their families financially and emotionally for the rest of their lives. In this country when you are done with your service you are left for dead to deal with whatever it was you experienced in battle. You are lucky to be helped by anyone at all.
This country needs to create an environment which allows the falling soldiers to be remembered, and a very good way to do it is through entertainment.
Unless you were in battle with Tillman and your life were threatened by his actions, you should really find compassion and understand that this country needs to hear some of these horrific stories, enough with those nameless coffins.
Regardless of anyone’s stance on these 2 wars, it’s disgusting how our soldiers are treated when they get back. Shame on the US for that. This is simply another example of how anyone in these wars are used to exploit professional (and personal?) agendas – which by the way is the thinking that GOT us into these wars in the first place (hello WMD and Cheney?).
I cannot believe the insensitivity of some of these comments. Besides being mean-spirited, these negative opinions and judgments expressed about the the family are completely incorrect. It is obvious that most (if not all) of these highly opinionated people have even seen this film. If they had, they would have witnessed the Tillman family acknowledging that their son’s death was no more important than that of any other soldier and that their loss was no greater than that of any other family in the same position. The family was initially reluctant to cooperate with the filmmakers (probably because of the pain of exposure to some of these misinformed and cruel opinion mongers). However, the family also understood that the heightened interest in their son from both the media and the general public because of their son’s fame and unusual heroism afforded them a unique opportunity and platform to expose the horribly unethical and insidious actions of the Pentagon and perhaps higher ups in the Federal Government who, for wartime propaganda purposes, sought to cover up the truth of this man’s death. The scary thing to contemplate is that if the Federal Government can do this to a person as well-known and celebrated as Pat Tillman, then they can do it to all the anonymous and unkown soldiers who give the ultimate sacrifice for their country every day. This family and this film are trying to protect and defend the right of the lesser known and less powerful citizens and soldiers to get the truth about their fates in battle and not be exploited for war propaganda, and to hold the Government accountable. The family is not suggesting for one minute that their son is better than anyone else’s. It is a great film that everyone should go see. If it were shown in every high school in America, we might inspire young people to make America an even better country than it already is.
I haven’t seen this movie, but I’m going to assume that it’s rated R because of the F word. The MPAA has rules, but they don’t govern your kids. Parents should do that. Forget the rest of the arguments.
It’s nice the MPAA exists, but anyone over 10 years old has heard every word in the English language at least once. Make it taboo all you want. People will still see R rated movies, regardless of age. Unless their parents restrict them from seeing them.
Haha, Lt. Dan Taylor. No one realizes that even though this man may really exist, he was Gary Sinise’s character in Forrest Gump. Hilarious.
The MPAA is clueless. The things that they expose 13 14 year olds to are gross. Although I agree that they may be right in this case and that the strong language is not appropriate for 13 14 15 year old kids. And, by the way, yes, it is parents responsibility for what the kids see but that doesn’t clear MPAA from doing their job…
Anyway… YES YES YES every kid should learn about Pat Tillman and this movie should affect (I’m guessing I haven’t seen it) our culture …BUT…why didn’t you think of this when you were filming? Why didn’t you find away to share the story without offense? Aren’t you artists or are you too limited that you can’t tell the story without making it look like a boring, Hallmark movie?
I’m guessing that you did it right and that to tell the story you needed the language ..to make it real….but Hello? I’m guessing that if you ask military men/women that they would say “Of course, hide the gory details from my 13 year olds…it’s WAR!!!. My response to this is that we are doing a service to our kids by hiding the gory details of war(including language) as most cultures have done for thousands of years. The kids should not be exposed….some films are meant to be R for a reason.