RESEARCH REGARDING CERTIFICATES - THE BBFC AND THE ROMANTIC COMEDY GENRE

I am now going to do some research regarding certificates to to help me choose which certificate I think my film should have. I am going to use the website BBFC to do this. 

BBFC website link

During my research I have looked at many rom-coms and these are the certificates some of them have received: 

By just looking at the certificates rom-coms have received, it has become clear that films from the genre usually have a 12a or a 15 certificate. This means that I am going to be choosing between a 12a and a 15. 

I am now going to look more deeply into four films that have either a 12a or a 15 and write down the main reasons they received these certificates to help me decide:  

'Anyone But You'

'Anyone But You' received a 15 certificate for multiple reasons including: 

- infrequent very strong language, eg. c*nt 

- frequent uses of strong language, eg. f*ck, motherf*cker

- milder terms eg. bitch, bloody, shit

- moderate sex references 

- infrequent joint smoking 

- references to cocaine and crack 

- moderate nudity 

- rude humour 

- alcohol consumption 

'Crazy Rich Asians' 

'Crazy Rich Asians' received a 12a certificate for multiple reasons including: 

- infrequent use of strong language eg. f*ck 

- milder terms eg. bitch, asshole 

- some sexual references 

- brief male rear nudity 

- reference to unspecified drugs 

- implied that a women has suffered domestic violence 

'Fly Me to the Moon'

'Fly Me to the Moon' received a 12a certificate for multiple reasons including:

- brief threat and horror - a spacecraft catches on fire and screams are heard from inside but no further visual detail

- infrequent strong language 

- very mild sex references 

- a scene of sexism however the film clearly opposes this discriminatory attitude

- very mild rude humour 

- upsetting scene where a man becomes distressed when he is interviewed about a traumatic incident 

- briefly upsetting reference to a historic murder 

- people are shown smoking cigarettes 

'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy'

'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' received a 15 certificate for multiple reasons including: 

- comic violence but there is no strong detail 

- strong language 

- mild strong language 

- strong sex references to sexual activity 

- reference to orgasms and condoms 

- mild moments such as a couple engaging in sexual activity, however there is no nudity or strong detail 

- there are passing drug references 

- film deals with bereavement in a sensitive manner 

- references to illness, including terminal illness 

- adults drink alcohol