15A classification

fryup

Don't you think the 15A is a bit ambiguous?

Films classified 15A have been deemed appropriate for viewers of fifteen and over. However, they can also be seen by younger children - provided they are accompanied by an adult who has deemed the film appropriate viewing for that child.

but how many adults out there actually know beforehand what a film is going to contain

The reason i start this thread is today i went to see Prisoners which contains a very graphic torture scene, and there were kids as young as 10 and 8 watching ..surely this isn't right???

in the UK this movie is classed as 15 only in fact there is no 15A in the UK just 12A

the conjuring is another movie that was classed 15A and again there were kids (under 10) screaming their heads off at it

don't mean to be an old prude but i just think the 15A classification should be done away with

Antar Bolaeisk

There's generally a little guide on IFCO as to why a film received the rating it did, grading certain content such as language, violence, mature themes, nudity, drugs and so on, nobody seems to bother with it however.

Whenever I was working in a cinema I always advised parents when bringing young children to see a 15A film about the contents but the parents were happy enough to continue, some of them almost rolling their eyes at me as I explained. The parents didn't really seem to care, they were just getting to see a film they would probably enjoy while treating their kids to a day out. Some parents even bring young kids in to see 18s films, treating the rating as an 18A almost.

losthorizon

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

There's generally a little guide on IFCO as to why a film received the rating it did, grading certain content such as language, violence, mature themes, nudity, drugs and so on, nobody seems to bother with it however.

Whenever I was working in a cinema I always advised parents when bringing young children to see a 15A film about the contents but the parents were happy enough to continue, some of them almost rolling their eyes at me as I explained. The parents didn't really seem to care, they were just getting to see a film they would probably enjoy while treating their kids to a day out. Some parents even bring young kids in to see 18s films, treating the rating as an 18A almost.

As someone working in a cinema would you have refused entry to a parent with a child of say 12 to an over 18 film? What would your boss have said?

I feel a Prime Time special coming on!:pac:

Irish Aris

losthorizon wrote: »

As someone working in a cinema would you have refused entry to a parent with a child of say 12 to an over 18 film? What would your boss have said?

I feel a Prime Time special coming on!:pac:

Very unlikely that a cinema employee would refuse, but that would be a very bad parent IMO.
In any case, the ratings can be quite confusing. Obviously there are certain guidelines but, sometimes I can't help feeling that someone had a good/bad day when giving the rating.

Loughc

Irish Aris wrote: »

Very unlikely that a cinema employee would refuse

Legally they're meant to!

chucksandstorm

Not only are the movies often inappropriate for a young audience they are also movies that are not designed to hold the attention of people below those ages. This mean that the kids get restless and go in and out to the concession stand / toilet and chat throughout the film. The only thing more irritating than a restless child in a cinema is some idiot checking his phone.

You can't blame the cinema staff it's the parents who are to blame.

AnonoBoy

chucksandstorm wrote: »

You can't blame the cinema staff it's the parents who are to blame.

Thick parents who bring their kids to unsuitable movies are always the quickest and loudest to complain if staff suggest that said movie may not be appropriate for their little darlings.

re: Parents bringing their kids to see Prisoners - Who in their right minds would think a film about the abduction of two little girls would be a suitable film for small children?

"Eat your veg or else the man from the film will come and take you away!"

johnny_ultimate

Quite simply, a parent should be paying attention to the rating system. I'd hope cinema employees would point out any potential issues. But the 15A is an effective compromise: every child and parent is different, and the latter should have the freedom to determine whether something is right for their kid / early teenager. I'd be generally in favour of a more open classification policy that's well emphasised, and the current system IMO does a good job of differentiating between 'restricted' content and 'parental guidance' content.

Unfortunately, many parents simply do not give a crap: the ones who will buy their youngsters a copy of GTA without even batting an eyelid. That is not IFCO's fault: the information is readily available for anyone looking for it online or in most cinemas. It's their fault if they haven't researched correctly, bar the tiny handful of cases when the rating was perhaps misjudged or borderline.

Loughc

I've seen cinema managers in Odeon Coolock advise parents that certain 15A films may not been suitable for their kids and I've seen those parent's sometimes reply F*** Off, you can't tell me what my kids can or cannot watch.

The IFCO website gives good detail into why the film is rated the way it is, If parents are ever in doubt they need to consult this site.