Arthur Andersen at the movies

Cooking the ratings books? Content in today's films that was once rated R is now PG-13, as movie ratings increasingly help studios instead of parents | Gene Edward Veith

The summer movie season has been notable for its relatively few R-rated movies and for the relative abundance of movies that are suitable for families. In addition to the large number of animated and computer-generated movies intended directly for children (Lilo and Stich, Stuart Little 2), mainstream hits like Spider-man and Men in Black II were relatively innocent, and even the scary Signs upheld "family values."

The fact is, economic pressure is forcing Hollywood to make fewer R-rated movies and more fare that can draw in audiences of all ages. And yet, filmmakers are manipulating the rating system to keep the raunch factor high.

Free-market theorists ever since Adam Smith have argued that a wide-open, unregulated economy, governed by competition and the law of supply and demand, will produce greater morality. Although one might think that the unrestrained pursuit of self-interest, on the part of sinful human beings, would result in selfishness, greed, and dishonesty, actually—so goes the argument—anti-social and destructive behavior can't survive in the economic marketplace, which instead rewards honesty, self-discipline, and moral integrity.