No Kids Allowed

The movie Logan is going to make your life better in the future. Hear me out.

When we laugh about the regulations of TV shows back in the 60s, such as I Dream of Jeannie not being allowed to show Jeannie's bellybutton on screen, we fail to realize that those regulations are still having their effect today. So many production companies want to make a movie for adults, but also hit that coveted PG-13 rating so that more people can buy tickets! Our movies and entertainment get dumbed down and de-intensified so that it can hit the magical PG-13 rating. Especially movies that normally are directed towards kids, like comic book movies such as Logan.

Is it so much to ask for movies made just for the 76% of the country that is adults? Of course rated R movies have already been out, but the big budget films are rarely rated R. The extremely costly movies always seem to be PG-13 movies, because those investors want to hit the biggest possible market. But I think starting with Deadpool, and confirmed by Logan, we might start seeing big budget rated R movies made just for adults. Sure, having a PG-13 rating opens up to more customers, but catering specifically to adults works wonders.

I don't think this movement is solely in Hollywood either. I'm starting to see a number of restaurants and other venues that are banning kids and are getting slammed by happy customers. I remember seeing an incident in Tennessee where this awful woman got kicked out of a nice restaurant because she decided to bring in McDonalds for her kid and threw a fit with the managers when they told her to get it the hell out of there. She started making social media posts about how the restaurant was NOT kid friendly, and the community responded by filling the place up with reservations.

Now, before I get slammed for hating kids or some crap, that isn't the point. I have kids. I take them with me to restaurants all the time. But if a venue doesn't allow kids, guess what? I don't take my damn kids there. I am not a fan of how everything continues to get dumbed down just to accommodate everyone's children. There are places that is not appropriate for your kids. I understand that is a downer at times, but it's just a part of life. Not every movie, every restaurant, every form of entertainment has to be kid friendly too. "But that means I can't go out if I can't find a babysitter!!!". You're exactly right. That's part of being a parent, you have to make sacrifices for your kids at times. Get used to it.

Just like that restaurant, I am betting on production companies realizing that catering to adults, while losing you some children's tickets, will make up for it in spades by more adults getting to go out and enjoy adult movies. Imagine Avengers with an R rating. Instead of us having to believe that Captain American, who has been killing Nazis since the elevators were still ran by people is ALSO against cursing, we can hear him in all his foul mouthed, military glory. Getting to actually experience these characters make hard decisions that wouldn't be understandable to a 12 year old. Or go through pain that only adults can comprehend.

I'm excited for this change. Disney will keep pumping out movies for kids and Ice Cube will continue starring in family pictures, so I think the children will be just fine. The only change is the biggest age demographic in the US finally starts getting catered to.