'Celsius 41.11' fights R rating

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Producers of a documentary intended to counter "Fahrenheit 9/11" are appealing the R rating for the movie, the Los Angeles Times said Friday.

"Celsius 41.11: The Temperature at Which the Brain Begins to Die," was produced by Lionel Chetwynd and Ted Steinberg, and directed by Kevin Knoblock. The Motion Picture Association of America rated the movie R on Tuesday -- less than two weeks before the movie's scheduled theatrical release.

The Times said producers knew two instances of profanity on the part of war protesters and a graphic image of the torture of an Iraqi soldier would make it difficult for the movie to get a PG-13 rating.

David Bossie -- president of Citizens United, the conservative group that financed the project -- said the film should have been PG-13.

"Lots of PG-13 movies with fraternity house antics and gross humor go much further than we did," said Bossie, "and don't deliver anything educational."

An R rating means no one under 18 will be admitted unless accompanied by an adult. "Fahrenheit 9/11," which was rated R, grossed $119 million at the U.S. box office.