‘Don’t Think Twice’ Director Blasts MPAA Over ‘Suicide Squad’s’ PG-13 Rating

Filmmaker and comedian Mike Birbiglia doesn’t understand why the MPAA gave his new movie Don’t Think Twice an R-rating while allowing the violence-laden Suicide Squad a PG-13.

“Suicide Squad has machine gun killings and bombings and got a PG-13 rating. @Dontthinkmovie gets an R because adults smoke pot. Confusing?” Birbiglia said on Wednesday.

He later wrote “F— the MPAA” but deleted the tweet.

A spokesman for the MPAA told Variety the org declined to comment on the matter.

Filmmaker Judd Apatow, who directed and produced Trainwreck, Knocked Up, Funny People, This Is 40 and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, responded sympathetically to Birbiglia on Twitter:

“Studios own the ratings board. Violence sells so they make pot and sex the scary thing so they seem caring.”

Birbiglia responded: “That makes a lot of sense and is insane.”

Film Arcade released Don’t Think Twice, which currently has a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes compared to Suicide Squad’s 32% rating, in one New York theater on July 22-24 where it set the mark for the top per-screen gross with $92,835. Last weekend, Don’t Think Twice expanded to five locations to lift the cumulative total to $266,210. The film, which deals with a troupe of improvisational comedians, stars Birbiglia, Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Kate Micucci, Tami Sagher and Chris Gethard.

The film premiered earlier this year at South by Southwest.

Warner Bros. is releasing Suicide Squad on Friday at 4,255 locations nationwide.