FirstShowing.net It Really is the Holidays Five PG (and Under) Movies in Two Weeks!

It Really is the Holidays Five PG (and Under) Movies in Two Weeks!

December 21, 2006
by Alex Billington
For some, this news may be cause for alarm. For others (families especially), this may result in much relaxation and plenty of enjoyment.

But I bring up the most pressing question at least in the minds of some people - is this really good? Is it worth it pushing out so many films that have to cut back on themselves in order to fit the MPAA's rigorous demands for PG? Let's take a look at the openings.

Although this was missed from a couple weeks back, is also another PG film thrown into this Holiday's mix (although already gone from theaters as of this weekend).
Opening on Friday, December 15th:
Opening on Wednesday, December 20th:
Opening on Friday, December 22nd:
This is rare, as we usually see a mix of often PG-13 or R's opening most of the year. I've even seen more than my share of weekends that open nearly all R movies except for maybe one PG-13, but rarely so many PG's!

I think the most important question is, is this good? Or even better yet, are these movies even good? Essentially the answer is yes, and no.

Yes because it draws more people to the theater to see these movies, and no because they're not all that great. It's an interesting observation because I seem to be pointing out that PG films are naturally bad, and have no chance, which is completely incorrect. Some of them are fairly good, but not great (Charlotte's Web, We Are Marshall) and some of them are bad (Eragon, Night at the Museum).

However, the encompassing statement is really that these PG films are purely designed to draw audiences and make money, not at all for quality, and hardly to entertain. It's quite sad, but it's true. The studios got to make their money somehow.

The problem is that the filmmakers have to go through extra constraints in order to make a PG film. They've got to snip the script for anything offensive, they've got to cut certain scenes and happenings to stay within the bounds. It all (for the most part) hurts a film, but, for example, is a great film, the best out of every PG opening in December, and it maintains a PG level without being too problematic.

So there are exceptions, and Rocky is one, as there are a few others. stands out as being one of those that still delivers a compelling story and doesn't cut too much to stay PG.
Of course some of these PG films can be enjoyable popcorn flicks, and that's where they're best left.

They have their moments but most of all they're purely for earnings and entertainment, and only sometimes do they really have much that can be taken from them. I'll leave this off by saying: see some of them, definitely Rocky Balboa and We Are Marshall. And I leave the comments open for discussion, as I think there is much more that can be brought to the table about the idea of PG films being worth it or just money-makers.