Mike Birbiglia And Judd Apatow Are Not Happy With ‘Suicide Squad’s PG-13 Rating
Let’s get real for a second here. Yes, there should be a movie rating system that informs audiences of the basic content of a movie, allowing parents and those with certain tastes to make the proper judgment call before they pull the trigger on buying movie tickets. It’s hard to imagine any decent person thinking that MPAA ratings are a bad idea on paper.
However, there’s a big difference between a sound concept and a strong execution and the MPAA has rightfully been under fire for as long as I can remember for decisions that are, well, boneheaded at best and sinister at worst. Yelling about the MPAA is nothing new! However, comedian and filmmakerMike Birbigliahas tossed his two cents into this ongoing cluster cuss, putting the PG-13 rating ofSuicide Squadin his sights.
I saw Birbiglia’s new film, the warm and funny and sad and sweetDon’t Think Twiceat SXSW earlier this yearand loved it. It’s a big-hearted crowd pleaser, an honest, uplifting movie about struggling improv performers. Specifically, it’s a movie about struggling improv performers who occasionally swear and smoke pot, so the MPAA slapped it with an R-rating for “language and some drug use.” That’s a low blow for a movie that is perfectly acceptable for the 14 and over set, all of whom will be able to buy tickets to the Suicide Squad, which earned a PG-13 despite containing a large amount of violence and gunplay and deeply unpleasant material.
Birbiglia made his thoughts known on Twitter:
Suicide Squad has machine gun killings and bombings and got a PG-13 rating.@Dontthinkmoviegets an R because adults smoke pot. Confusing?
— Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs)August 19, 2025
Birbiglia isn’t bashingSuicide Squad(our own Angie Hanthought it was pretty good!), but he is the latest director to expose the double standard the MPAA applies to movies. A mature comic drama with some adult moments gets locked away under a restricted rating while the incredibly violent superhero movie with a massive body count gets to be seen by pre-teens with no fuss! Of course, one is a small independent film, and the other is an expensive, glossy blockbuster that demands a larger audience to make its money. If you smell a conspiracy theory, get in line behind directorJudd Apatow:
And if you think Apatow is exaggerating, I would highly recommend watchingThis Film is Not Yet Rated, a documentary that sticks a pin in the image the MPAA has tried and failed to build over the years.
This American Lifehost andDon’t Think TwiceproducerIra Glassoffered his perspective on the matter:
I guess the geezers at @MPAA haven’t noticed: shootings are a big problem while weed’s being decrimininalized.https://t.co/EvORqB8Zz9
— Ira Glass (@iraglass)June 06, 2025
No one is telling you that you shouldn’t seeSuicide Squadand no one is saying that it deserves an R-rating. However, by givingDon’t Think Twicethat R-rating, the MPAA has kneecapped it and painted it as a movie it is not. It’s as simple as that. That the MPAA thinks the sweet comedy about relatable characters doing subtle and relatable things is more offensive than the film built around big action and constant violence should offend you as a moviegoer. The MPAA isn’t serving the films, the filmmakers, or the audiences when they’re making decisions like this.
