“The Dreamers” is the latest in a small group of general-market films strictly for adult audiences, as dictated by the Motion Picture Association of America. We rate the films here, based on quality, up to four Xs.
1. ‘MIDNIGHT COWBOY’
(John Schlesinger, 1969) XXXX
The only X-rated film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, Schlesinger’s brilliant buddy picture chronicles the rocky relationship between loner Enrico “Ratso” Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) and Texan gigolo Joe Buck (Jon Voight). “Cowboy’s” rating was later changed to an R without cutting a single frame.
2. ‘Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN’
(Alfonso Cuaron, 2002) XXXX
While most adults-only films depict the destructive side of sex, “Mama” doesn’t judge intercourse, as two horny teens (Gabriel Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna) find maturity during a life-changing road trip with an older woman (Maribel Verdu). IFC Films agreed to release “Mama” unrated, but only people older than 17 could see it.
3. ‘CRASH’
(David Cronenberg, 1996) XX1/2
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Cronenberg, dubbed the “Baron of blood,” is no stranger to shocking material. But he pushed the envelope with this twisted, NC-17 tale of two car crash victims (James Spader and Holly Hunter) who fall into an underground society of survivors aroused by auto accidents.
4. ‘FRITZ THE CAT’
(Ralph Bakshi, 1972) XX
Before the boys of “South Park,” there was “Fritz the Cat.” Based on characters created by crude cartoonist Robert Crumb, “Fritz” had the distinction of being the only animated film rated X. It has been re-rated R, but “Fritz’s” seedy sex scenes and foul language are still the epitome of bad taste.
5. ‘LAST TANGO IN PARIS’
(Bernardo Bertolucci, 1973) XX
More than 30 years before “Dreamers,” Bertolucci made this equally controversial drama about a depressed widower (Marlon Brando) carrying on a creepy love affair with a young French actress (Maria Schneider). At first given an X rating, “Tango” was re-rated NC-17 by the MPAA.