10 R-Rated Movies That Every Kid Watched Growing Up

Founded in 1922, the Motion Picture Association’s (MPA) purpose was to “protect and support the nascent film industry.” Since then, it has been a leading advocate for the advancement of the art of cinema. One of the functions within the MPA is the designation of film ratings. These ratings are agreed upon by an independent board of parents known as the Classification and Ratings Administration (CARA).

A quick breakdown of the ratings system is as follows:

While films rated R are not intended for younger viewing audiences, there have been several instances where parents have chosen to include their children in the viewing experience, or kids have found a way to watch the content themselves without their parents’ knowledge. From important religious dramas to family comedies, to sci-fi and comic book genres, here are 10 movies that every kid watched, even though they were rated R.

10

‘The Blues Brothers’ (1980)

Directed by John Landis

Some movie characters are so iconic that a few notes of a song, or a silhouette of two hats, two ties, and two pairs of sunglasses, can make them instantly recognizable. What began as a skit on Saturday Night Live soon turned into a fan-favorite character set that launched a full-length film.

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd played the dynamic duo, The Blues Brothers, in both the skit and the film, where they were on “a mission from God.” Though there is some strong language and references to drugs and sex in the movie, all of these inclusions and the violence within are relatively mild for an R rating. The tremendous chemistry between Belushi and Aykroyd, the hilarious comedic moments, and the great soundtrack made it a film that a wide age range enjoyed watching.

The Blues Brothers

Release Date

June 20, 1980

Runtime

133 minutes

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  John Belushi

  ‘Joliet’ Jake Blues

9

‘The Passion of the Christ’ (2004)

Directed by Mel Gibson

It had been several years since a studio had made a film about the crucifixion of Jesus when Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ debuted, and it would go on to make movie history for being the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time (only recently being outdone by Deadpool & Wolverine, and Lilo & Stitch). The film goes into graphic detail depicting the horror of what Roman crucifixion and torture were really like, and many audience members left theaters emotionally wrecked.

Churches and other religious organizations had viewings of the film once it was released, and parents again could choose whether or not to have their children attend. Many parents considered The Passion of the Christ too important a film to go unwatched by their children, choosing to share the experience with them and start a dialogue afterward.

8

‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985)

Directed by John Hughes

Directed by the prolific John Hughes and starring members of the iconic “Brat Pack”, the 1985 coming-of-age teen drama The Breakfast Club remains a favorite for many movie fans. The film follows teens from diverse and clashing social groups that are forced to spend a day in detention together.

Though the film has achieved cult-classic status and is a treasure for many teens then and now, it was rated R for drug use, bullying, sexual themes, strong language, suicide, and depression. This left the viewership up to parents’ discernment.

7

‘Robocop’ (1987)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

It’s hard to decide what to make of Robocop on the surface. At first glance, it looks like the 1987 film could be similar to other popular kids’ shows of the time which featured action heroes in metal suits like Challenge of the GoBots or Transformers. Combined with the patriotic nostalgia of series like G.I. Joe, Robocop seemed like it could easily be the premise for another kid-friendly flick. It also didn’t help the case when action figures for the film were released, which look like toys to younger fans.

Paul Verhoeven’s beloved sci-fi film took a turn toward the darker side and its graphic violence and heavier themes ensured that it would earn a rating on the more mature end of the scale. With a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and numerous spinoffs, this action movie was too popular not to be watched by teenage viewers, even if the tone was not what was originally expected.

RoboCop

Release Date

July 17, 1987

Runtime

102 Minutes

6

‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ (1987)

Directed by John Hughes

Another classic directed by John Hughes is the travel-themed comedy Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Featuring comedic legends John Candy and Steve Martin, the story centers around the two main characters, who are strangers, traveling across the country together in order to get home in time for Thanksgiving.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles has many hilarious moments, and it could almost be considered a family film, except for one critical scene. Although the movie does not have strong language throughout, Martin’s character Neal reaches the end of his sanity and patience and lets a poor rental car employee have a piece of his mind with a solid string of f-bombs.

According to Martin, the scene was acted out as it was written, and all 19 uses of the f-word were in the script. Since parents could quite easily mute this brief scene, and it is largely edited out of network TV broadcasts of the film, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a film that many families and younger viewers have enjoyed watching together.

5

‘Predator’ (1987)

Directed by John McTiernan

There’s something about sci-fi gore that makes it more tolerable for younger audience members. There is a layer of separation between the viewer’s reality and an imaginary or hypothetical situation. Since you generally don’t expect to encounter a trophy-taking killer from outer space finding you in a jungle, it could be argued that it can be less impactful for adolescents to watch R-rated films that take place in a make-believe setting.

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the height of his fame in the late 1980s after starring in films like Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator. With such a solid fan base of young and old cinemagoers, it was no wonder that the alien adventure Predator was a big success. It is still considered the best film of the massively successful franchise and has multiple layers and deeper meanings to some of the drama.

Predator

Release Date

June 12, 1987

Runtime

107 Minutes

4

‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)

Directed by James Cameron

A fantastic sequel to its earlier counterpart, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, was another film that featured Schwarzenegger and garnered praise from both younger and older fans. It’s not hard to imagine that kids would be interested in watching a movie that features a kid as one of the main characters.

The bond that young John Connor (Edward Furlong) forms with the humanoid T-800 (Schwarzenegger) is reminiscent of movies like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, where a human child bonds with someone(thing) considered by others to be a monster. You could almost think of Terminator 2: Judgment Day as an The Iron Giant for adults. Linda Hamilton reprised her role as the fierce and formidable Sarah Conner, and it is considered by many to not only be better than its predecessor, but the best film of the Terminator series.

3

‘Aliens’ (1986)

Directed by James Cameron

Terminator 2: Judgment Day was not the only sequel director James Cameron made that tends to outshine the original. The 1986 interstellar horror film Aliens returned viewers to a dark universe where “In space, no one can hear you scream.”

Though the subject over whether Alien or Aliens is a better movie is still hotly debated, the second film, Aliens, tends to be considered more action than horror, making it more suitable for younger viewers to watch than the first film.

aliens

Release Date

July 18, 1986

Runtime

137 minutes

2

‘Die Hard’ (1988)

Directed by John McTiernan, David Leitch

Whether or not the sleeper hit Die Hard should be watched by kids or be considered a Christmas movie could be argued passionately by fans on both sides of the opinion. The 1988 movie that takes place around the holidays starred an actor mostly known for romance and comedy roles in his first action film.

Bruce Willis had been making a name for himself in roles on the TV series Moonlighting and the film Blind Date. However, a single casting decision would change the course of his career forever when he was hired to play off-duty police officer John McClane in Die Hard. He was so unknown in the action genre (in the age of Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Sylvester Stallone) that the foremost posters for the movie didn’t have Willis in them.

But the rest, as they say, is history, and it’s impossible to think of Die Hard starring anyone else. Although the film earned its R rating for language, brief nudity, and violence, it was a hit with adolescents who couldn’t help but root for the underdog hero McClane.

Die Hard

Release Date

July 15, 1988

Runtime

132 minutes

1

‘Deadpool’ (Trilogy)

Directed by Tim Miller, David Leitch, and Shawn Levy

Not only has one of the movies in this final entry earned more at the box office than the first record-breaking, rated-R entry, but the studio that made them repeatedly asked parents not to bring children to the movies, and they did anyway.

Though most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s installments have been aimed at adults, they have been mostly safe for kids. However, the Deadpool series starring Ryan Reynolds was markedly more edgy, graphic, and an R rating suited the films best. Many fans agreed that censoring the films down to a PG-13 rating would take away from the essence of the character (you don’t get the nickname the “Merc with a Mouth” for nothing).

Marvel Studios was very clear to parents that the Deadpool films were not for children, but parents ignored the pleas from the production company and took children to see the films nonetheless.

Reynolds himself watched the final installment, 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, with his oldest child, who was nine at the time, and said it was a great moment to share as a family, and watching R-rated movies as a kid had an impact on him:

“When I saw rated-R movies when I was a kid, they left a huge impression on me because I didn’t feel like people were pulling punches, and it’s been a huge inspiration to so many of the things that I look to make now.”

Of course, the choice whether or not to let a younger person watch an R-rated movie depends greatly on the movie itself and the individual child. And as far back as ratings go, parents like Reynolds have found that some staples of cinema are too epic not to share with their kids, even if they are rated R.

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