Watching the trailers for Mortdecai, the upcoming comedy caper starring Johnny Depp, you get the impression that the movie is trying to be a real crowd-pleaser, serving up another weirdo Depp performance that can be enjoyed by all audiences. The movie's new rating, however, really sells another story, as apparently this upcoming January release has been rated R by the MPAA.
So what exactly is it that pushes Mortdecai over the line and makes it only suitable for audiences over the age of 18? Looking at the details on Box Office Mojo, the film appears to only boundry step just slightly. The official reason for the rating is reportedly "some language and sexual material" - which can be roughly translated to mean that there is more than one instance of the word "fuck" being tossed around, and that the MPAA doesn't want kids to see Olivia Munn showing off her cleavage to Johnny Depp:
Honestly, f this movie was going to be rated R for anything, I actually would have thought it would have been for violence - but we all know that the MPAA weighs that factor much less than "dangerous" presentations of sexuality. Still, let's not forget that the trailer features Johnny Depp comedically blowing Paul Bettany away with a shotgun.
It is admittedly possible that I am being a bit over-surprised by this ratings news,as I can't say that I'm personally familiar with the Kyril Bonfiglioli-authored novel on which the film is based. It's entirely possible that the book is much more adult-oriented than the previews for the movie have suggested, and therefore it makes perfect sense that the R-rating would exist. Still, this makes me wonder why Lionsgate hasn't tried to advertise the film with a red band trailer.
Directed by David Koepp, Mortdecai stars Johnny Depp as Charles Mortdecai, an art dealer who winds up getting involved in an adventure involving a stolen painting and a bank account filled with Nazi gold. The star-studded cast also includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Goldblum and the aforementioned Olivia Munn and Paul Bettany. Look for the movie in theaters on January 23rd.
