It's official: Fifty Shades of Grey will be rated R. That's good news if you happen to be a) a teenager who doesn't feel awkward watching a movie about kinky sex with your parents, or b) someone making money off the film who would have been disappointed with an NC-17 rating.
In typical MPAA fashion, the reasoning behind the rating is vague: “Strong sexual content including dialogue, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity." Unusual behavior, eh? Didn't anyone tell the MPAA that desire can't be normed?! Also, given the worldwide excitement about this hetero bondage fantasy film, I think we can safely say that handcuffs and spanking aren't as "unusual" as the MPAA wants to pretend. Just a thought.
It goes without saying that calling kink unusual is going to cause the eye roll heard round the world, but we have a feeling it won't have an impact on how much cash Fifty Shades ends up raking in when it comes out in a month or so. Feel free to spend the weeks leading up to the release having whatever R-rated thoughts you'd like—we won't label them. (via Variety)