Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico — When you think of summer blockbusters, three-hour historical dramas don't usually come to mind. Still, one of the most anticipated movies of summer and this whole year is "Oppenheimer."
The film is the latest from Christopher Nolan. After years of conjecture and curiosity, the movie is finally being released. The film boasts an incredible cast, a historically significant plot and a huge production budget. Most times, all of those factors, specifically the big budget, mean a studio will insist the project retain a PG-13 rating to appeal to a broader audience and secure more ticket sales.
When you're Nolan, however, it seems the movie studios are happy to hand over a blank check and no input on rating.
"Oppenheimer" will mark the first time since Nolan's 2002 thriller "Insomnia" that one of his films has earned an R rating. It received the R rating for sexuality, nudity and language.
"Oppenheimer" will undoubtedly be one of the most talked about films of 2023 and a front-runner at the Oscars in 2024, attracting a lot of curiosity from potential audience members.
With reasoning as vague as "some sexuality, nudity and language," it can be challenging to know what to expect in the movie. Is the nudity explicit or obscured? Is the language constant or sporadic? That's why I am here. This review isn't to delve into my thoughts on the film or whether I liked it. This review lets you know what is in the movie and to what extent to decide whether you'll see "Oppenheimer" or skip it.
Here is how "Oppenheimer" earned its R rating.
Language
For the most part "Oppenheimer" has about as much language as many of Nolan's other films, like "Inception" or the "Dark Knight" saga. Where it differs is about eight to 10 F-words sprinkled throughout the movie. They do not come all at once, and they are not constant.
Keep in mind, "Oppenheimer" is a three-hour movie and it is basically wall-to-wall dialogue. I can't imagine how many pages the script was and how many words it involved, but the handful of F-words can almost get lost in the mix. With that said, however, a few stick out more than others. The ratio of how many F-words per word spoken has no bearing on a film's rating. Eight to 10 F-words is still eight to 10 F-words in one movie, so it earned an R rating for the language.
Sex
I have to assume this is the most surprising of the reasons "Oppenheimer" earned an R rating. A historical film about the man who created the atomic bomb doesn't seem like a sexualized movie, but here we are.
I don't want to give any spoilers to the film, but let it be known there are three sexual scenes in the movie containing nudity. The nudity is mainly of a topless female and the sides of a male. One of the scenes is not sexual in nature, but it is somewhat prolonged. Another scene could be described as graphic but is used as a plot device to set a specific tone for an uncomfortable scene. When I say graphic, I don't mean you see more of a nude body other than the bare back of a woman and the bare legs of a man, but the scene is meant to be uncomfortable — and, it is.
I am not justifying anything here or giving my opinion. Instead, I am letting you know the nature of the three scenes you should be aware of before you decide to see the film. Without the language, "Oppenheimer" would have earned the R rating on sexuality and nudity.
Violence
The film centers on the man who led a team of scientists who created the first atomic bomb, but there is no violence in the movie. The war waging around the world is spoken of but never seen. The horrors of war and the devastation of the weapon are discussed several times throughout the film.
There is also a suicide in the film. It is not shown in detail but can be disturbing to some audiences.
Tone
"Oppenheimer" is a heavy film.
For three hours, Nolan repeatedly throws ethical dilemmas, impossible situations, world-altering propositions and personal tragedy at you. They don't usually hand out R ratings for tone and feel, but "Oppenheimer" feels like an R-rated film. It should come as no surprise that this movie treads under challenging waters, but it is not a movie that has you skipping out of the theater.
The dark tone is meant for more mature audiences.
Conclusion
"Oppenheimer" does not feel like a hard R-rated film. Compared to movies like "The Departed" or "Deadpool," it feels tame but undoubtedly earned its R rating. Nolan does not shy away from the realities of what happened in history, which can be difficult to experience in a theater.
"Oppenheimer" is officially rated R for some sexuality, nudity and language.
