Director of Red, White & Royal Blue Challenges MPA's Rating System, Sparks Debate

Summary

Matthew López, the director, challenges the credibility of Red, White & Royal Blue's R-rating, arguing that the rating system of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) unjustly targets sexual content while overlooking violent elements.

Lopez suggests that the film's rating could have been influenced had it portrayed a heterosexual couple, highlighting concerns regarding potential bias in the rating system. The level of explicitness in the film's sexual content remains uncertain until it is released on Prime Video. However, Lopez stresses the significance of accurately depicting the romance between Alex and Henry.

Red, White & Royal Blue director Matthew López has criticized the film's R-rating and the MPA's rating system. In the upcoming LGBTQ+ romance film from Amazon Studios, the son of the US President, Alex Claremont-Diaz, and Britain's Prince Henry engage in a highly publicized conflict during a royal wedding. To handle the situation, they pretend to be friends but ultimately fall in love.

During an interview with GamesRadar, López expressed his surprise at the R-rating given to Red, White & Royal Blue. He questioned the MPA's rating practices, speculating whether the rating would have been different if the film had contained violence instead of sexual content. Read López's comments below.

I was never instructed to alter the content for a more lenient PG-13 rating. Although the R-rating did come as somewhat of a surprise, it also seemed somewhat expected. I did wonder if a heterosexual couple would receive the same rating.

I firmly believe that the MPAA has a skewed perspective, favoring violent scenes while harshly scrutinizing sexual content. They seem to have their priorities reversed in this matter. However, throughout the entire process of creating this film, no one ever suggested that I should tone down the content to appeal to a wider audience. There was unanimous support for allowing the movie to be exactly as I envisioned it, including the explicit depiction of Alex and Henry's intimate relationship.

Why Is Red, White & Royal Blue Rated R?

Taylor Zakhar Perez and Henry Galitzine in Red, White and Royal Blue.

The MPA has given Red, White & Royal Blue an R-rating due to its inclusion of sexual content, partial nudity, and certain instances of explicit language. López has emphasized the importance of portraying sex in the film as it reflects the development of Alex and Henry's relationship over time. The explicitness of these scenes may have contributed to the movie's R-rating.

Yet López's remarks about Red, White & Royal Blue receiving an R-rating due to its sexual content highlight the contrasting treatment of violence and sex in movie ratings. While PG-13 films often receive leniency for featuring intense action sequences, the depiction of sex continues to be a contentious topic. As a result, it remains unclear just how explicit the romance in Red, White & Royal Blue will be until its release on Prime Video this Friday.

López also wonders if the rating for Red, White & Royal Blue would have been altered had the storyline focused on a heterosexual romance. This interpretation suggests that the film may not be as explicit as the MPA rating suggests, emphasizing its primary objective of faithfully depicting the relationship between Alex and Henry. The extent to which the MPA's R-rating is warranted will become evident upon the release of Red, White & Royal Blue on Prime Video on August 11, 2023.