Score +1 for funny, sure. But more specific descriptions for ratings are actually helpful to at least some parents, myself included. I care far less about the occasional "bad" word or nudity than I do about violence. Knowing which feature is responsible for a particular rating makes the ratings actually useful.
For example, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" was rated R because of a (quite funny) rant by Steve Martin's character containing a stream of f___'s. I'd let a younger kid see that than a slasher film that's given the exact same R rating.
As for "peril", my young daughter is quite empathetic and regardless of whether I think it would damage her psyche, I'd at least know that she wouldn't enjoy the film.
If we're going to have ratings, I'd much rather they be useful.
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Score +1 for funny, sure. But more specific descriptions for ratings are actually helpful to at least some parents, myself included. I care far less about the occasional "bad" word or nudity than I do about violence. Knowing which feature is responsible for a particular rating makes the ratings actually useful.
For example, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" was rated R because of a (quite funny) rant by Steve Martin's character containing a stream of f___'s. I'd let a younger kid see that than a slasher film that's given the exact same R rating.
As for "peril", my young daughter is quite empathetic and regardless of whether I think it would damage her psyche, I'd at least know that she wouldn't enjoy the film.
If we're going to have ratings, I'd much rather they be useful.