"More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context." "A motion picture’s single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating," the guidelines state. The wording is super-specific and kind of weird:
He brings up the "rule" and knows he had to write around it, but what is the rule exactly? I went digging online and found the actual ratings guide the MPAA uses for films. And then to balance it, have him just go "F-." It just felt right.Īnd then there was another one later where Matt says "F- you, Mars," and it was very much an ad-lib, and we just liked it so much that we fought to keep it. So I wanted to sort of visually get that, which is why we put such an intense sort of self-surgery scene right there. You can't say "I’m pretty much f-ed" ’cause it’s sort of past tense, and movies are much more about present tense, if that makes sense. In a weird way those four words represent the movie: "I’m pretty much f-ed." It's not "I’m f-ed." "I’m not giving up hope" is really what it's implying. I wanted to start with Mark waking up on Mars, and I wanted the first word of the movie to be ‘f-.’ It’s sort of the spirit of the first sentence of the book - "I’m pretty much f-ed." I love the comedy of it. When I first wrote the script, the storm is in the middle the way it is in the book. We only thought we'd have one, ’cause that's usually what the rule is. He explains the situation in an interview with HitFix: In fact, screenwriter Drew Goddard only intended one use of the word. Say it twice? You're slapped with an R-rating. If you've ever wondered why action films are edited down to PG-13 for the theater while the R-rated cut that makes it onto home video seems more like the version the director intended, that is the answer.Īnd you can only say "fuck" once in a PG-13 rated film. Wider audiences equals more bodies in seats, meaning more revenue. This is a sticking point because a film's rating has much to do with its ability to make money: You don't need parents to see a movie rated PG-13, which means more people can see it, and those films tend to make more money. In another scene it's part of a text exchange, and it's spelled out as 'f-'" We see him through a window, and he clearly says "fuck," although we don't hear it. During one scene the camera is pulled away from Watney's point of view into the environment of Mars. The use of that word is important, because later in the film Watney says it again: "Fuck Mars." The two uses of the word "fuck" are audible, but those aren't the only times the word is used in the film, although director Ridley Scott shoots around them. The first crisis is over, and he survived. It's a tense, sober scene that's hard to watch, but does a great job of showing just how precarious Watney's situation is while establishing his will and competence.Īfter the surgery is performed successfully Watney leans back and says a single word: "Fuck." It's a wonderful moment, a breath of air for the audience and the character. There is a scene early in The Martian where stranded astronaut Mark Watney has to perform surgery on himself, pulling a chunk of metal from his own body. Warning: This article contains adult language and spoilers for The Martian