By Chris Kavan - 02/11/20 at 08:35 PM CT
Finally we have an MPAA Ratings Bulletin with more than a single wide-release entry! In fact, we have a whopping three - my favorite number - to talk about this time around. Two out of the three are family-friendly titles, including the latest from Disney/Pixar, which will probably make just a Titanic-sized boatload of money. The other is sequel to that crazy Peter Rabbit, which, apparently, did well enough the first time around to justify a sequel. The last is the next offering from Judd Apatow, whose brand of comedy you probably either love or hate (I'm a fan myself). All in all, a very robust update - keep 'em coming!
In terms of animation, Disney is still the king of the hill and Pixar is the tip-top of said hill. So there is little doubt in my mind that the upcoming Onward is going to be anything but another monster hit. This fantasy-themed adventure is set in suburbia where two brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) set out to find magic in a world where magic has long been forgotten. All this in order to be reunited with their late father, for at least a short time, who died where both were very young. You have everything that makes Pixar films so memorable - a heart-felt story, memorable characters and a fantastic setting. Plus, there's more talent - Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ali Wong, Octavia Spencer, Lena Waithe, Mel Rodriguez and Pixar mainstay John Ratzenberger all lend their voices to the film. I'm a middle-aged man, but I have no problem admitting I like Pixar films. I don't always see them in theaters, but believe me I am looking forward to Onward - and I think I'm far from alone. Rated PG for action/peril and some mild thematic elements.
While Pixar has me excited, I can't say the same for Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. For one, I never saw the first movie and all I can remember about it was that a bunch of people raised a stink for the film making light of food allergies. Some good news is it looks like the main cast has all returned: James Cordon as Peter Rabbit, Margot Robbie as Flopsy, Elizabeth Debicki as Mopsy, Domhnall Gleeson as Mr. Jeremy Fisher / Mr. Thomas McGregor and Rose Byrne as Bea / Jemima Puddle-Duck. New faces and/or voices for this film include David Oyelowo and Damon Herriman, Apparently, following the events of the first film, Peter Rabbit and his friends are now the subject of a successful novel - while Bea and Thomas are now married. But Peter feels that the book paints him in a bad light and while Bea and Thomas go on a trip, he finds an opportunity to go on the run himself. From what I gather, Peter decides the book makes him look too rebellious so to combat this does something... rebellious. Take that stupid authors! Whatever, I'm sure the kids will have a fine time with this. Rated PG for some rude humor and action.
On the subject of rude action, no one does it better than Judd Apatow, purveyor of such raunchy fun times as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked-Up, This is 40 and Trainwreck. This time he is putting the focus on a nearly-true life story in the semi-autobiographical The King of Staten Island, which is based, in part on the life of Pete Davidson (who stars as himself/Tyler) is based on his Staten Island upbringing, losing his father in 9/11 and beginning his stand-up career. I know really next-to-nothing about Davidson, other than I know he's on SNL and he seems to be in a lot of relationships. So I don't know how many other people love/hate him enough to check out his life story. But Apatow has a solid record in my book and he always brings together a good cast - and here he has the talents of Marisa Tomei, Steve Buscemi, Bel Powley, Machine Gun Kelly, Moises Arias and Kevin Corrigan (among others) to help things along. Whether this has enough mass appeal to be successful remains to be seen. Rated R for language and drugmuse throughout, sexual content and some violence/bloody images.
There you have the big names getting all fancy with some ratings, but have no fear, the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin can be found below:
THE ARTIST'S WIFE
Rated R for language, some graphic nudity and brief sexuality.
BEHIND YOU
Rated R for some violence and bloody images.
THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND
Rated R for language and drug use throughout, sexual content and some violence/bloody images.
THE LOST HUSBAND
Rated PG-13 for some suggestive references.
MAGGIE SIMPSON IN PLAY DATE WITH DESTINY
Rated G
MILITARY WIVES
Rated PG-13 for some strong language and sexual references. (NOTE Re-rated, new edit, Original R-rating - Bulletin 2612 from 1-15-20 voided).
MY BOYFRIEND'S MEDS (LA PILDORAS DE MI NOVIO)
Rated R for sexual content,vdrug material, and language.
ONWARD
Rated PG for action/peril and some mild thematic elements.
PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY
Rated PG for some rude humor and action.
SOUND OF METAL
Rated R for language throughout and brief nude images.
TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG
Rated R for strong violence throughout, bloody images, pervasive language, sexual content and some nudity.
