Taking On NC-17

The conventional thinking in Hollywood says that you can’t release a movie with an NC-17 rating if you want anyone to see it. And it’s true that many theaters won’t show NC-17 movies, and many publications won’t carry ads for them. But Fox Searchlight Pictures is testing the theory with a major release making its debut at the Sundance Festival. Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers features full frontal male nudity and a steamy sex scene featuring a brother and sister, will be released in February, with the controversial rating still attached, and the studio is convinced that Americans won’t be scared away by the ‘adults-only’ label.