Rated X

Institute History

  • 2000 Sundance Film Festival

Description

Rated X is the incredible true-life story of the notorious Cain and Abel of the adult entertainment world. Emilio Estevez directs and costars with brother, Charlie Sheen, in a film which transcends the biopic genre with its harrowing depiction of the rise and fall of the infamous Mitchell brothers.

It would have been a mistake to portray Artie and Jim Mitchell as simple lowlifes when in truth they were savvy businessmen and successful pioneers in the burgeoning porn film market. At a time when moral and artistic freedoms were being challenged on every front and in every strata of society. it was the Mitchell brothers who stood up to the law and even the Mafia. Rated X traces each step of their development, from their troubled childhoods, loves, dreams. and fears, right through to their breakout success with the discovery of Marilyn Chambers and the creation of the porn classic, Behind the Green Door. Furthermore, the film seeks to explore the darker personal side of this sibling relationship. The story may begin with their innocence but ends in a battle with drugs and jealousy that leads one brother to the edge of insanity and the other to murder.

Rated X is enriched with stylish filmmaking and a dynamic screenplay, but the crowning achievement is the standout performances of real-life brothers Estevez and Sheen. They have embarked on a bold career move, the results of which prove a resounding success.

— John Cooper

Screening Details

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