LOS ANGELES, June 29 (UPI) -- The Motion Picture Association of America cracked down on "Fahrenheit 9/11" over a critic's quote in an ad for the movie, The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday.
The paper said that MPAA head Jack Valenti convened a conference call Monday with critics Richard Roeper and Roger Ebert, as well as executives involved in distributing the movie. Valenti objected to an ad that included part of a quote from Roeper's review.
The MPAA had given the movie an R rating, requiring anyone under 17 to be accompanied by an adult. Roeper had said in his review that "everyone should see this movie," but the MPAA disallowed that quote for newspaper ads.
Print ads for the movie included part of Roeper's quote: "A powerful, fascinating piece of filmmaking. ... See this film!"
The Reporter said the MPAA stuck to its decision, disallowing even the fragment of Roeper's quote. Fellowship Adventure head Harvey Weinstein remained critical of the MPAA decision.
"Everyone knows that Richard Roeper did not call for anyone to violate the R rating," he said, "and this ruling is a huge disservice to the public."
