Yes, It Is

I love this movie. It has snappy dialogue, appealing characters, and best of all, depicts a believable and entertaining romantic involvement between people in their fifties. I had never taken notice before that it carries an R rating, and I have watched it probably five times. I puzzled over why it would be rated R. No f-bombs dropped, no violence, no nudity, no blood, no drug use. Oh, wait. There is a scene, a totally hilarious one, mind you, where adults, adults, meaning not children, get stoned. There are no awful consequences after getting stoned, maybe that's where the R rating comes in. The potheads must be punished! Interestingly, near the beginning of the movie Ms. Streep's character overimbibes on alcohol and later is found, first barfing into a nightstand drawer and soon after hugging the toilet. Clear consequences for combining martinis and wine and I believe an after dinner brandy. Oh, I forgot, booze is legal. Marijuana isn't. But please! How can a joint between friends earn a movie an R? After all, partaking of weed has been depicted in a number of network television sitcoms as well as late night tv's Saturday Night Live. Even Parenthood's adult siblings were shown toking up in a schoolyard in the drama's first season. None of this programming would have been deemed suitable for network broadcast unless it had a PG rating. People can certainly get offended about whatever they choose, but pot smoking among adults in a film created for theatrical release? Puh-leez! But then, I'm one of those oddballs who thinks it's healthier to view some naked bodies than it is to watch people shoot each other up. Watch It's Complicated and see if you think it deserves the R rating. If you ask me, you'll probably get so caught up in how entertaining it is you'll forget to look for R-worthy content.

PS: It has just occurred to me that in 9 to 5, office pals played by Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton get stoned together and chow down on leftover barbeque. It was rated PG. Maybe my theory is total crap.