The Suprising Story Behind the PG-13 Rating
Jul 30, 2025•36 min
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Episode description
Today, we delve into the fascinating--and somewhat controversial--creation of the movie rating that changed Hollywood forever: PG-13.
Born out of the wave of 1980s blockbuster movies that pushed the boundaries of family entertainment, PG-13 was the solution to a rapidly growing problem: there was no middle ground between PG and R-rated movies.
We'll look back at some of the 1980s movies that led to a call for change, and the two specific movies that pushed it over the edge--two movies connected to Steven Spielberg.
And it would be Spielberg himself who led the charge for a brand new rating, a rating that would change movies as we know them, and usher in a whole new era for how Hollywood made and marketed movies.
- Weird Science movie review: Patreon.com/80s
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