The PG-13 rating was conceived in direct response to outrage from parental groups over traditionally PG-rated movies that contained material considered to cross a red line in the sand. This included sexual content, violent imagery like the kind shown in films like Gremlins, and of course, foul language best left to mature audiences.
Although PG-13 helped designate movies that were best suited to older children, that didn't stop filmmakers from cutting it dangerously close when it came to the latter. The rule is that only one or two F-bombs can make it into any PG-13 film, and still retain a rating. Plenty of filmmakers have used this limitation for the sake of achieving a little more notoriety for their work.
Updated on December 15th, 2021 by Derek Draven: Christmas Vacation is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to surprising F-bombs in PG-13 movies and, if anything, their frequency has only increased over time as with the ever-growing popularity of comic book movies.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
No other F-bomb in PG-13 cinematic history is as shocking, or hilariously effective as the one Clark Griswold drops in the classic National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Clark spends the majority of the film waiting for his bonus check to come in, to pay for his planned pool installation. The chaotic events of a family Christmas are topped off with the revelation that his bonus has been canceled, which drives him off the edge.
When the family prepares to leave, Clark stops them, proclaiming that they're going to have the "hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny f***in' Kaye!" Even after multiple repeated viewings, this particular F-bomb never loses its gut-busting hilarity, despite its many other memorable quotes.
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (1991)
Kevin Costner's epic Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is renowned for its gritty, yet adventurous take on the legendary tale, not to mention Costner's inability to speak with an English accent. Quibbles aside, it's by far the most exciting version of Robin Hood ever committed to film, with a timeless sense of adventure.
Then, there's that scene where Will Scarlett watches Robin and Azeem catapult over a castle wall to pursue the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham, leaving him to proclaim "F*** me, he cleared it!" It was an unexpected surprise, and one that many parents sharing the film with their children weren't too happy about.
Days Of Thunder (1990)
Tom Cruise followed up the seminal 1980s hit Top Gun with Days of Thunder, a near-identical story that put the actor in the seat of a NASCAR vehicle, as opposed to an F-14 Tomcat. The film boasts some truly exciting racing sequences that still give fans goosebumps to this day. It's also chock-full of dramatic elements, including the initial rivalry between Cruise's Cole Trickle, and Harry Hogge, which leads to the two nearly coming to blows.
While chastising the duo for their chaotic actions in the pit, race team owner Tim Daland compared the scene to a monkey doing a certain F-Bomb related something to a football, which seems inventive at the very least. It was enough for fans to do a double-take and hit the rewind button.
Tremors (1990)
The comedy/horror hit Tremors set up a franchise run that kept going far longer than the original, but it did gift audiences the privilege of watching Reba McEntire unload an array of high-powered firearms into gigantic killer worms.
Kevin Bacon was no slouch when it came to memorable one-liners. After narrowly escaping a pursuing worm who strikes a concrete wall and dies, Bacon's character Valentine McKee runs up to the camera to deliver one of the most iconic "F*** you" deliveries in cinematic history, which remains classic to this day.
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Adam Sandler was at the height of his shock-comedy routine in 1998, and he wasn't afraid to translate some of it into his Hollywood films. Sandler played Robbie Hart, a wedding singer who was ironically left at the altar of his own wedding day, which leaves him jaded, depressed, and cynical.
After the lovely Julia Sullivan enters his life and tries to coax his creative songwriting skills to the surface, Hart starts off with a soft rendition of "Somebody Kill Me Please", which erupts into an angry chorus ending with "I hope you f***in' choke!" The expletive was unexpected and accomplished exactly what it set out to do - shock audiences with hilarious effect.
Aliens Vs. Predator (2004)
The attempt to marry the gory and terrifying Alien and Predator franchises together was met with fan backlash when they learned it would be a PG-13 film. As such, many of the film's most violent scenes were watered down to stay on good terms with the censors, and that included the language.
Therefore, it feels a bit crass and desperate when Alexa Woods drops her F-bomb in the third act of the film. When the young Predator warrior shows off a bomb designed to blow up the alien-infested temple, Woods remarks "Well I hope it kills every f***in' one of em!"
The 6th Day (2000)
Arnold Schwarzenegger's career as an action star began to unwind following this forgettable 2000 film with cloning as a central focus. The script was pretty bad, the action bland, and the story lacking any real weight in comparison to previous identity crisis Schwarzenegger flicks like Total Recall.
It was also PG-13 rated, in an attempt to garner a wider audience. That tactic might have backfired, a fact made all the more clear when the film's F-bomb drops. When bad guy Michael Drucker has a conversation with Arnold's character Adam Gibson, the latter suggests that Drucker make a clone of himself. When Drucker asks if it's so he can understand Adam's perspective, Adam replies "No, so you can go f*** yourself." The exchange is rather silly, but Arnold's delivery of the line is cringeworthy.
X-Men: First Class (2011)
Sometimes, a PG-13 F-bomb can serve a valuable purpose, especially when it comes to comedic timing or an intensely poignant moment. Other times, it's used as a cheap device for lazy filmmakers trying to generate a buzz and word-of-mouth controversy.
That's precisely what it felt like during a scene in X-Men: First Class, when Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr try to recruit a pre-X-Men Wolverine into the fold, who promptly replies "Go f*** yourselves." It succeeded in making audiences laugh, but it nevertheless felt forced and inappropriate.
Spaceballs (1987)
Riffing on Star Wars, Mel Brooks' Spaceballs is loaded with jokes that still hold up, thanks to its boundary-pushing material. Brooks went for broke when it came to juvenile humor and antics, involving everything from rampant sexual frustration, to genitalia-inspired lightsabers, but one scene took the cake when it came to the laugh factor.
After Spaceball-1's self-destruct sequence is initiated, the bad guys attempt to flee in escape pods already commandeered by the crew, which leaves them one option - the cancellation button. Upon finding it, they see an Out of Order sign, prompting one of them to drop a side-splitting F-bomb that came completely out of left field. To date, it's one of the most effective uses of the word in a PG-13 film.
Skyfall (2012)
Previous attempts to bring F-bombs into 007 films have typically been tempered with sound effects drowning out the actual word, leaving only lips to mouth the expletive on screen. That changed with 2012's Skyfall, which decided to take advantage of the PG-13 course language rule.
The F-bomb in question is muttered by M in the third act when they retreat to an isolated house in preparation for a final battle. It's an understated F-bomb that tries not to draw too much attention to itself, and given the grittiness of the Craig-era Bond films, it's acceptable, albeit unnecessary.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Beetlejuice was pretty far up the ladder when it came to mature material, and it clearly wasn't designed for children, despite its campy allure, courtesy of director Tim Burton. The decision to cast Michael Keaton as the quotable ghost with the most was a stroke of genius that has paid dividends, ever since.
When recently-deceased Barbara and Adam run from Beetlejuice's over-enthusiastic sales pitch to rid their house of a new family, he kicks down a plastic tree near his miniaturized grave site, before yelling "Nice f***in' model!"
Anchorman (2004)
Anchorman had one F-bomb to its name, and rather than simply drop it for the sake of eliciting a laugh, it tried to create a real-world consequence at the same time. Ron Burgundy drops the expletive during a live broadcast when he signs off with "Go f*** yourself, San Diego."
Not only does the F-bomb shock his co-anchor, but it also traumatizes the production team, and angers the local populace who were watching the live broadcast. The awkwardness is played up to hilarious effect, with gob smacked studio execs and producers floundering about, not knowing how to handle the fallout.
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
John C. Reilly's brand of comedy isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he did manage to elicit quite a few laughs as Hank Marlow, a U.S. Army Air Forces lieutenant with keen knowledge regarding the flora and fauna on Skull Island. While coaching the newcomers on the dangers of the island, Marlow tells them to be especially wary of giant ants living in the trees, who he claims "sounds like a bird, but it's a f***in' ant."
The line came out of nowhere and became one of the most hilarious parts of an otherwise run-of-the-mill monster flick. Ironically, Samuel L. Jackson, who's known for F-bombs in films, didn't get the honor of using the expletive during the movie.
Ready Player One (2018)
Hollywood's lack of creative juice over the years has led to it inserting F-bombs into PG-13 films that really serve no purpose, and that trend seems to be continuing. One of the more recent examples is Ready Player One, a Spielberg smash hit loaded with more pop culture references than can be absorbed on initial viewing.
One of these references centers around the Child's Play horror franchise, and its murderous antagonist Chucky. During the final fight, the killer doll makes an appearance, which prompts one of the players to yell out "It's f***ing Chucky!" Despite its PG-13 rating, Ready Player One was clearly aimed towards younger audiences, making this particular F-bomb seem cheap and inappropriate.
The Martian (2015)
Matt Damon gave one of his best performances in this 2015 film, where he played Mark Watney, a talented astronaut inadvertently left behind on Mars after his crew believes he's dead. Watney pulls out all the stops to conquer the inhospitable Martian landscape by growing his own food, recycling his own water, and finding a way to communicate with Earth.
Throughout the entire film, Watney tries to remain positive in the face of crushing adversity, but he manages to blow off some comedic steam when he literally curses the red planet with a "F*** you, Mars," delivered with tongue-in-cheek effect.