There used to be a time when movie ratings meant something. PG-13 used to mean that kids around the age of 13 were able to see the movie with their parents. R used to mean that no one under 17 would be admitted without a parent (though Michael Moore is somehow above it all and able to proclaim that because he says so, kids under 17 should see F9/11 without permission). But these days, you walk into a movie rated R hoping for a pleasant experience, but then you see families with kids well under 17 who either a) watch the movie and are permanently scarred for life (Critters) or b) run around the theater and cause a general raucous. Though I probably am most peeved off by parents letting their 11 and 12 year olds into R rated movies, it's even more annoying when you go to a PG-13 movie (say: Spider-Man 2) and the theater is packed with 4, 5 and 6 year olds. The little kid I had to sit next to tonight was probably no older than 6 and she didn't sit still for more than one minute at any one time during the movie. Nor did she understand the concept of "SHUT UP" (her father was a tad bit nicer than I would have been). On top of that, there was a 4 or 5 year old a row down and about 3 seats over that talked the whole movie and decided to scream a couple times - to which he received no response (or warnings) from his parents. Walking out of the theater, it really amazed me how many kids well under the PG-13 rating age limit were in the theater.

Maybe, instead of blaming the downfall of society on the internet, porn, the president, or television, we blame it on the people solely responsible - the parents.

Oh yeah, I was thoroughly unimpressed with the movie.

URL: Spider-Man