Neha and I went to see "Ironman" a couple of weeks ago (I was pleasantly surprised - it was actually very good), and the film got us to talking about when, if ever, we'll let The Baby Vohra watch R-rated movies (I know Ironman is PG-13. Whatever). This is quite a conundrum. R-rated movies typically have foul language, sex, violence, and drug use. Sometimes all at once. In other words, they're awesome. But they aren't appropriate film fare for impressionable young minds.
I'm not sure what the first R-rated movie I ever saw was, but the first I can remember was "A Nightmare On Elm Street." I watched it at a sleepover when I was 9-years old, and it was terrifying. That movie messed me up. As soon as it got dark out, I would refuse to look out the windows, and I would turn on every light in the house so that Freddy Krueger couldn't jump out of a corner and get me. I was so scared after seeing that movie that I had to sleep in my parents' room for like a month. So while the movie was rough on me, it was bad for them too. My mom spent hours worrying about whether my fragile psyche would recover. My dad was probably generally annoyed because I was a total pansy. Regardless, R-movies have the potential to cause serious problems if they're introduced at too early an age. Therefore, Neha and I have agreed that The Baby Vohra can start watching R-rated movies at age 30.
The ratings issue dovetails with another significant concern - what kind of movies will we actually be able to watch once The Baby Vohra is of movie-watching age? Much to Neha's chagrin, I'm a big fan of serious, often violent, often slow, dramatic features (I saw "There Will Be Blood" twice in the theater). Although I love "Zoolander" and its progeny. But that's neither here nor there. I'm almost positive that I will be unable to watch such movies, at least not on a regular occasion, upon the birth of The Baby Vohra. Instead, I'm guessing that I'll have to watch movies like "Kung Fu Panda." This is sad. Not that I hate pandas or kung fu, but animated features no longer do it for me. I struggle to sit through them without getting bored. But are these the only movies I'm going to be able to watch from here on out? I understand there is always the possibility of a babysitter, but that's a whole production with which I'm too lazy to deal.
Neha loves hindi movies. These, I suppose, are more plausible as fare for The Baby Vohra (little to no sex, cartoonish violence), but I am not a fan. There is far too much singing and dancing and nonsense for these to be films I could subscribe to, regardless of whether The Baby Vohra likes them. Although "Kung Fu Panda" remade as a hindi film could actually be pretty awesome.
I have come up with only one plausible solution: toughen up The Baby Vohra right away. Expose it to R-movies at the outset, so that it can handle anything, and I don't have to sacrifice the movies that I love. I'm playing "A Nightmare On Elm Street" in the delivery room.
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2 comments:
Letting him watch hindi movies from the start will not introduce him into violence or sexual scenes or bad language but you know it will mess with his relationships forever. He's gonna think life is like bollywood.
I just saw there will be blood last week and that is a new definition of slow. I give it 3.5 stars.
This is actually true. I think I watched Bollywood movies too soon and am forever messed up. I don't understand why when I'm on a date a guy doesnt stand up and start serenading me. sigh. ;)
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