Many movie fans have fond memories of trying to sneak into the theater to watch an R-rated movie or peaking into the living room while their parents are viewing a violent or sexually explicit film for a glance at the inappropriateness of it all. As we get older, though, we realize there’s a lot more to these age-restricted pictures than what’s on the rating by the Motion Picture Association.
Sometimes graphic, gory, or steamy scenes are required to get a point across to the audience. You can’t make a classic horror movie without a little blood. You can’t depict a religious crucifixion in a G-rated way. These are the best R-rated movies, from science-fiction epics to raunchy rom-coms.
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The Passion of the Christ (2004)
127m
Genre
Drama
Stars
Jim Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Christo Jivkov
Directed by
Mel Gibson
Watch on Amazon
Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ is the heaviest portrayal of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross ever put on screen. Many factions within Christianity enjoyed the raw violence and graphic depiction of the crucifixion as it let people know exactly what their messiah gave up for humanity. On the other hand, other groups deemed an R-rating potentially too lax of a rating. This film is certainly not for the faint of heart.
The 40-Year Old Virgin (2005)
116m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd
Directed by
Judd Apatow
Watch on Amazon
Steve Carell is most known for playing Michael Scott on The Office, his best movie may be the hilarious romantic comedy The 40-Year Old Virgin. While there are a ton of unfair stereotypes used against people who aren’t sexually active, this movie breaks down those generalizations by allowing a man who’s never experienced love to meet his soulmate during middle age. Paul Rudd, Kevin Hart, and Seth Rogan are all great supporting actors next to Carell.
Deadpool (2016)
108m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Comedy
Stars
Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein
Directed by
Tim Miller
Watch on max
Deadpool changed the superhero genre by destroying all filters and allowing Ryan Reynolds to go full goofball as Marvel’s blackballed antihero. Even with the two sequels that received more fanfare, especially the most recent Deadpool & Wolverine, the first movie in the saga felt the most creative and fresh. With plenty of meta-humor and a unique tone of voice that makes fun of the typical seriousness of hero films, Deadpool helped usher in different expectations surrounding men and women running around in tights!
The Godfather (1972)
175m
Genre
Drama, Crime
Stars
Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
Directed by
Francis Ford Coppola
Watch on Amazon
The Godfather runs the risk of becoming more myth than movie, but only if you don’t give it a chance. The defining mobster movie of the 20th century doubles as a disturbing but beautiful portrayal of family drama that every film fan should watch one time before they die. The sequel might be even better, but if we have to include just one on the list, the original needs to be the selection.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
142m
Genre
Drama, Crime
Stars
Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton
Directed by
Frank Darabont
Watch on Amazon
The Shawshank Redemption is the best prison movie of all time. Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins force viewers to see the positive qualities in even the most dire scenarios as Robbins’ Andy Dufresne battles an unfair conviction. A lot of folks don’t know that this film is based on a Stephen King story.
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
120m
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei, Ralph Macchio
Directed by
Jonathan Lynn
Watch on Hulu
While Joe Pesci’s characters can typically be seen involved in organized crime, My Cousin Vinny allowed him to pivot to comedy while maintaining his rough edges. Vinny is a lawyer completely out of his element, both because of the stakes of the trial he’s assigned and the Southern environment he’s dropped into. Marisa Tomei is equally brilliant as Vinny’s wife, and the banter between the two of them makes up the majority of the humor in the film. There aren’t many R-rated comedies with the type of sharp writing and acting possessed by My Cousin Vinny.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
137m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Stars
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong
Directed by
James Cameron
Watch on Netflix
Arnold Schwarzenegger switches from villain to hero in the second Terminator movie as a resistance movement fights to delay the destruction that will happen when A.I. takes over the planet. Terminator 2: Judgement Day supersedes all expectations for a sequel while expanding James Cameron’s science-fiction world. The film’s T-1000 Terminator is one of the best movie antagonists of the 1990s.
The Matrix (1999)
136m
Genre
Action, Science Fiction
Stars
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Directed by
Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
Watch on Amazon
Keanu Reeves stars in this iconic story of humanity’s battle to understand reality and time. Computer hacker Neo must help take down the artificial intelligence that is trapping civilization inside of the titular computer program before it’s too late. The Matrix brings a lot of questions to the table, such as the simulation hypothesis and the theory of free will.
Braveheart (1995)
177m
Genre
Action, Drama, History, War
Stars
Mel Gibson, Catherine McCormack, Sophie Marceau
Directed by
Mel Gibson
Watch on Amazon
It may not be all that accurate, but Braveheart definitely feels like an entertaining version of one of history’s greatest conflicts. As long as you take the events as fictional rather than reality, this depiction of the Scottish gaining independence over the British will leave you feeling great pride in your own country no matter where in the world you come from.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
169m
Genre
Drama, History, War
Stars
Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
Watch on Amazon
Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have collaborated on several different war films and series, but Saving Private Ryan remains the most famous. A barbarically brutal portrayal of the sacrifices soldiers in World War II made for their brethren on the battlefield; this award winner is only for those who can stand the realities of this tragic 20th-century conflict. The first scene is one of cinema’s most famous, but the rest of the runtime holds its own.
