Reasons for Movie Ratings (CARA) - Guide to Searching for Movie Ratings

Guide to Searching for Movies

Introduction
Using The Search Box
How To Read The Results
Linking to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Introduction

The CARA Movie Database contains all movies rated by the Classification and Rating Administration since 1968. (Not all films distributed in the United States and Canada have a CARA rating.) This database is updated when a new ratings bulletin is published (generally, once a week).

Using The Search Box...

1. Type the name of the title... If you are unsure of the exact title, you can type a word or part of a word contained in the title. Do not start a title with The, A, or An. Entering asterisk (*) or question mark (?) will search for titles containing those symbols. They do not act as wildcards. Including percent (%) in a title will return odd results.

2. Choose a specific rating... (OPTIONAL) If you want to limit your search to a specific rating, change the default ANY to the rating of your choice: G, PG, PG-13, R, or NC-17.

3. Click Search to find the titles... Click the Search button to find the titles matching your criteria.

How To Read The Results...

1	Motion Picture Title All returned title appear in alphabetical order. Click the title to view associated film facts at the IMDb (Internet Movie Database - not affiliated with CARA). If you follow the IMDb title link, and it does not find the movie, the year rated is probably different from the year released. From within IMDb, remove the year from the end of the title string and search again using their "fuzzy" search.
2	Distributor
3	Voluntary CARA Rating
4	Explanation of Rating Most films that have been re-rated, or which have ratings other than G, have rating explanations. Explanations are not available for films rated R prior to September 27, 1990.
5	Rating Code Rating codes are links that offer additional information regarding the rating.
6	Enter The title found is an alternate or "also known as" title. If the title you want is not also on the list, you will need to search again using the "Enter" title.
7	Year Rated The year indicates when the film was last rated. This is not necessarily the year it was released. If a film was re-rated, this will be the year of the most recent rating.

Linking to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

In response to your search, the computer will return a list of titles. You can click on any title that is underlined, and you will be linked to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). The IMDb is not connected to CARA. CARA claims no responsibility for the accuracy of the data contained within the IMDb. The link is a helpful service that provides easy access to additional information within the IMDb (i.e., cast, director, synopsis, critical reviews, etc.).

If you click on a title and the IMDb returns a Title Search Failure, try entering the title without the year in the IMDb Fuzzy search input field. CARA lists the title along with the year that it was certified. IMDb lists the title along with the year that it was released to the public. Many times the year is different and results in an unsuccessful match. Removing the year removes the confusion.

When you are finished viewing information within the IMDb, close the IMDb browser and you will be returned to the CARA site.