In June 2000, Playboy magazine interview Matt and Trey, creators of Southpark. The whole interview is a great read, but some of the most interesting bits involve the pair's tangle with the MPAA and the ratings on the South Park movie. I've mirrored the transcript here, and below is a lovely excerpt:
STONE: We submitted it seven times to the MPAA. The last submission we got back was NC-17, two weeks before release. And one of the marketing guys from Paramount calls and says, "Matt, Trey, you need to cut this again, because we need an R." So I called Scott Rudin and freaked out. Rudin called somebody at Paramount and freaked out on them. Somebody at Paramount called some body at the MPAA and freaked out on them. And the next day the movie was rated R. Not one frame of the movie changed. That's what fucking bullshit it is. And we have it all documented. They can't take us to court for libel because it's fucking true. It is such a fucking shame that no one in this town has the balls to stand up to them. And we're stupid, and I'll probably end up dead in a fucking ditch tomorrow.
PLAYBOY: Assuming the MPAA lets you live, would you really prefer government regulation of movie content?
STONE: You know, I used to definitely be on the side of Hollywood when I'd hear Al Gore and all these politicians say we need to do something about violence in movies. I used to be like, "Fuck you, First Amendment, blah blah blah." But when you start examining how fucked up the self-regulation in this industry is, then you start to see Al Gore's point of view. All he knows is that his kids can go see The General's Daughter and see all that depraved bullshit in a fucking terrible movie. Al says, "Hey, can you do some thing about violence in movies?" And Jack Valenti walks up with a little martini and says, "We're doing it, don't worry. They want kids to see R-rated movies, that's the bottom line.
PLAYBOY: Why?
STONE Because they make a lot more R rated movies, and they need kids to see them. People don't understand that the MPAA isn't just this cool not-for-profit holy organization. The MPAA is the studios. Jack Valenti is paid by them. It's a trade organization, it's a lobby, and he's a fucking hack. He paints himself as this moral arbiter this guy who stands for the parents of America, and he's a fucking politician.