The NC-17 rating is the highest rating in the Motion Picture Association (MPA) film rating system used for films distributed in the United States. It was created in 1990 to replace the X rating, which had been co-opted by the pornography industry. The NC-17 rating is assigned to films that the MPA deems inappropriate for children under 17 years old. The rating suggests that the films content is appropriate only for an adult audience (ages 18 and above). Films with an NC-17 rating are not suitable for mainstream audiences and are often controversial.
The NC-17 rating is often given to films that contain graphic violence, sexually explicit content, and disturbing scenes. The rating is also given to films that contain lots of nudity and sex, especially of an LGBTQ nature. Pornographic films are also given an NC-17 rating. The rating is intended to warn parents that the films content is not suitable for children and that it could be corrupting to a young mind.
Films with an NC-17 rating are not widely distributed and are often released in only a handful of theaters. The rating has become less important in recent years because it is so rarely called for. In an environment where smaller, non-studio films often find their biggest audiences on streaming, ratings have come to feel increasingly less important, verging on irrelevant.
In summary, the NC-17 rating is the highest rating in the MPA film rating system used for films distributed in the United States. It is assigned to films that the MPA deems inappropriate for children under 17 years old and suggests that the films content is appropriate only for an adult audience (ages 18 and above). Films with an NC-17 rating are not suitable for mainstream audiences and are often controversial. The rating is often given to films that contain graphic violence, sexually explicit content, and disturbing scenes, as well as lots of nudity and sex, especially of an LGBTQ nature.
