The quote "Everyone in the Country should see this film!" by critic Richard Roeper has been banned by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from use in ads for "Fahrenheit 9/11," according to a statement released by Lions Gate Films. The concern was apparently that the quote would encourage the violation of the 'R' rating. During a conference call today, MPAA president Jack Valenti spoke with Lions Gate's Tom Ortenberg, IFC's Jonathan Sehring, Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper. Lions Gate reported in its statement that Ebert & Roeper "spoke forcefully in allowing the quote to be used with the 'Fahrenheit 9/11' advertising materials but were denied by the MPAA." The distributors confirmed that they will abide by the decision.
[Statements about the decision are published below.]
HARVEY WEINSTEIN, FELLOWSHIP ADVENTURE GROUP - "Everyone knows that Richard Roeper did not call for anyone to violate the R rating, and this ruling is a huge disservice to the public."
TOM ORTENBERG, LIONS GATE FILMS - "The MPAA rule regarding language in advertising as it pertains to 'Fahrenheit 9/11' is unfortunate and we would like nothing more than to use the quote from Richard Roeper in our ads urging 'everyone' to see this film. However, the demographics from exit polls from this weekend's record-breaking opening indicate that everyone is indeed seeing it, and we are thrilled," said Tom Ortenberg, President of Lions Gate Films Releasing. "We respect the MPAA’s final ruling on this and will abide by their decision."
JONATHAN SEHRING, IFC ENTERTAINMENT - "This is a misguided and unfortunate ruling, which also puts little faith in the MPAA's own rating system," stated Jonathan Sehring, President, IFC Entertainment. "Regardless of the positioning on any billboard or movie poster, all one needs to do is open a newspaper or look at the lines outside theaters, to see that both critics and filmgoers around the country have stood united in support of this film. Once again, this ruling by the MPAA is a bump in the road, but it will not hinder our efforts to ensure that everyone across the country are empowered to make their own decisions. As we have seen this weekend, Michael's voice is resonating through America and it will only grow in the coming days. Each of us involved in this film are completely committed to this vision, there is no stopping this train."
