Why did Nurse Betty HAVE to be an 18?

[chris21]

Just been thinking.

With films like Goodfellas, and Henry: Potrait Of A Serial Killer, its obvious that an 18 cert is needed in order to properly tell the story.

But why do writers/directors feel the need to make a film about a housewife looking for her dream man an 18?

Surely it could have been made a 15 and took more money at the box office. In fact even the swearing could have been dropped and got the film a PG!

I just find this pretty interesting what are other peoples opinions on this, what's the need?

[William Shatners Wig]

It was probably to do with the graphic scalping with an everyday object and the other violence.

[chris21]

That's not what I mean.

I know why its an 18. I'm just puzzled as to why, given the subject matter, that it had to be.

The same story could have been told in a PG, and the film would have had a bigger box office pull as a result. So its puzzling why they put in the scene you mentioned. (I don't know how to use the spoiler tag and can't be arsed reading how hehe :))

[Shingster]

Nurse betty isn't really about a woman looking for her ideal man though is it?

The film is about how a bored repressed housewife witnesses such a terrible atrocity that she suffer a mental "fugue" and enters a fantasy world to escape the hrash reality of her life. Now, if your character is going to go in a state of shock for a prolongued period, there has to be a realistic reason for this, & the extremely violent killing of her husband is just the sort of think that could do it!!! Unfortunately, such a scene resulted in it getting an 18 rating!!
I also think that the violence in the film may be LeBute's way of saying life is violent, it isn't like it is in the soaps, it's harsh!