Elvis age rating: Why is the movie rated PG-13?

Elvis has hit theaters! The musical biopic from director Baz Luhrmann traverses the King of Rock and Roll’s storied life and career. It starts with him as a young man and takes us through 20 years of his life as told by his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, with whom he had a complicated relationship.

From the ’50s to the ’70s, the film will take viewers on a journey that includes other musical icons like B.B. King, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Little Richard, Big Mama Thornton and more. Due to the movie’s timeline, Elvis will also capture historical events, cultural shifts, and the changing mindsets and perspectives of American society.

Given how much of an icon and heartthrob Elvis was, paired with his defiance of what was socially acceptable in mainstream music, the frenzy his popularity created, and his struggles with addiction, the film pushes the envelope…but not too far.

The MPAA has given Elvis a PG-13 rating for substance abuse, strong language, suggestive material, and smoking. Here’s a spoiler-free breakdown of what that means.

Why the Elvis movie is rated PG-13

While the King is known for his music and the films he starred in, he wasn’t exempt from the vices that plagued his industry at the time and still do to this day.

Drug use is not shied away from in this biopic, it’s an element to the storytelling because it was a part of Elvis’ life. He was a pill taker up until the day he died, and his use of drugs (like with so many) altered his moods which could be volatile. According to IMDb’s parental guide, there’s also depictions of the musician shooting up with morphine and other substances.

Period typical smoking habits are featured in the film. There’s alcohol consumption. Profanity is used throughout Elvis hence the strong language warning. The suggestive material the MPAA refers to includes mild sexual content that alludes to sex, sensuality in the form of risque dance moves, the display of intimate attire such as lingerie, and the physical reaction young women have to Elvis’ performances.

As for disturbing sequences, the parental guide does warn that a riot breaks out in one of the scenes which shows a police officer beating a man. There are other intense elements in the movie, however, much of this has to do with emotional upheavals in the star’s life and his downward spiral as his career skyrockets.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more Elvis news and coverage!