Argylle‘s theatrical bow is right on our doorstep, and while Matthew Vaughn’s latest romp isn’t exactly hitting the mark with critics, its constellation of a cast and apparent commitment to accessible entertainment will probably be enough to draw a fair share of audiences.
On the topic of the latter aspect, it seems that Vaughn was all in on making sure that Argylle would pass the PG-13 test, even if some of the requirements threw him for an understandable loop. Speaking recently on the Inside Total Film podcast, Vaughn dished out some insight as to what you can and can’t do in a PG-13 movie, and they’re a lot more particular than one might think.
I didn’t know this at the time but headshots give you an R, chest shots, don’t. I said, “I don’t understand that because shooting someone in the chest is acceptable, but then the head is really bad?” I don’t think most people care where you’re going to get shot, if you’re gonna get shot, you’re gonna get shot.
Vaughn makes some good points here! It really shouldn’t matter where you get shot, given that a bullet to the head and a bullet to the chest are pretty neck-and-neck when it comes to mess-making and death, and one certainly isn’t blowing the other out of the water in terms of traumatizing young teens.
If the Motion Picture Association truly believes that a headshot is too graphic to include in a PG-13 movie, I’ll happily direct them to all the replays I have stored on my PlayStation 3 from my middle school Call of Duty days. Indeed, teens and tweens are, in fact, the prime purveyors when it comes to headshots, so don’t kid yourselves with this particular slice of PG-13 nonsense, MPA.
Argylle drops into theaters tomorrow on February 9.
(featured image: Universal Pictures)
