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Posted 03/21/02 Tommy Dickie '05 from Weston, Mass., is a member of Dartmouth's Student Film Society, and he's an avid movie fan. He recently talked with Madeline Dalton, Assistant Professor at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth Medical School. Dalton is one of a team of researchers who have been studying the impact of movies on teen behavior. Their latest findings show that children ages ten to 14 that are not restricted from watching R-rated movies are three times more likely to smoke or drink alcohol compared to those who are never allowed to watch them. As part of that conversation, Dickie offered his choices for winners of a few of this year's Academy Awards. Tune into the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 24, to see how he fared. Does the ratings system work? Madeline Dalton: It's been an interesting debate. ... Although the rating system doesn't take into account smoking or drinking, the R rating turns out to be a good proxy; if parents restrict R-rated movies, then they probably would be restricting the bulk of the smoking exposure. But overall, the rating system is tuned into violence and sex. Tommy Dickie: I agree that the rating system should be rethought. A movie like Shakespeare in Love was rated R, probably just for a little nudity and maybe some swearing, and that was very subtle. It was such a beautiful movie. Then movies like Dude, Where's My Car? or Little Nicky, that I think are stupid and inappropriate, are rated PG-13, and maybe kids shouldn't watch them. Dalton: And then [there are] movies like JFK or Apollo 13 that are historical and do have a ton of smoking, but it's not the kind of behavior that children would identify with or try to emulate. We found that smoking in the context of violence or sex seems to have the greatest association to adolescent behavior. Dickie: I've been thinking about this. Pulp Fiction is a very R-rated movie. And I don't know how many kids were allowed to see it. But I watched that movie, and I was very turned off from drugs. I think most movies that deal with hard drugs, beyond alcohol and tobacco, that are harder to watch, more artsy-like Requiem for a Dream last year — these movies show how much drugs just completely destroy your life. And they might be effective the other way, to prevent the same behavior. Dalton: I think parents typically think, "Oh, it's just a movie," or "They're old enough to see it now." I think there's a lot of ... rationalization that goes into allowing children to watch movies. So it's not the case that they aren't good parents; parents just never had this information before. They didn't know how much movies influence kids. Dickie: I think a lot of it has to do with parents. People give a lot of flack to Hollywood for making films that aren't OK for children. So much lies with the parents to talk with their kids and pay attention to what they are watching. Dalton: The other thing we should call into question is the brand placement in movies. Why is there so much of it? Do you notice the brand placement in the movies? Dickie: Rarely. Dalton: Did you see In the Bedroom? What did you think about the Marlboro pack? Dickie: I don't remember it. Dalton: You're kidding?! It was with Sissy Spacek in her bedroom. Dickie: I didn't really think about it. I'm not really shopping when I go to the movies. Tommy's Oscar Picks:
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