10 R-Rated Movies That Should Have Been PG-13

10) Boyhood (2014)

Many critics are hailing Boyhood as the best movie of 2014, calling it a landmark exercise in scope and ambition, yet you have to be older than Mason Jr. is throughout most of the film to actually see it.

The R rating was given to Linklater’s masterpiece for “language including sexual references, and for teen drug and alcohol use.” Admittedly, it would be inappropriate of a censorship organization to openly condone such behavior, but in the real world, it’s ridiculously naive to believe that teenagers aren’t already aware of all these references and more. In fact, Linklater doesn’t even glorify any of the more mature content and it’s used sparingly throughout.

Call me a cynic, but maybe Boyhood could have had more luck with the MPAA if they’d thrown in a high school shooting or two instead of just some kids drinking alcohol…