Parents guide

One girl wear scantly, tight fitting clothes.

A student motions towards his crotch as an insult to a woman.

Sexual references.

A sexual reference: a boy is told to keep control of his hormones as he tries to woo a girl.

A boy pretending to read a school test, but really has a nude magazine under it. Topless women covering their breasts with their hands. The teacher takes it and he pulls out another one with the same images. Very provocative, lasts for about 10-15 seconds in total.

When showing the disorder in the school, the camera shoots to a girl being bullied by other girls. Her shirt is torn off and she covers her breasts from the camera (no nudity shown, but full bare back).

There is a rape scene by one of girls against another girl. It's somewhat implied, but it could have easily gotten this movie an R if was more explicit. This movie is borderline R in many moments. The opening is borderline graphic.

This movie would have been a hard R (given the fairly graphic wounds), and is very similar to "187" (a darker movie, that couldn't have been just 15 in the UK). The only thing keeping it from being that type of movie is this movie was meant to educational, more than for entertainment, and the lack of hard profanity. Most of the cursing is S-words (there is only one F-word and D-word - not talking about "damn").

Cinemax content advisory for this movie: rated PG-13 for violence (V), adult language (AL) and adult content (AC).

Cinemax content advisory for this movie (with initial February - June 1994 ratings reason bumpers): rated PG-13 for violence, adult situations, adult language, and adult humor.

Some students get in a fight between each other. A teacher is beaten by a student and his head is slammed into the hard floor multiple times (blood is shown). He is then seen being carted out of the school on a stretcher by paramedics. A young drug dealer beats up another student, giving him a black eye and a bloodied nose. He pulls a knife on the principal who punches him. Guns are shown.

During his introduction speech to the school, Joe is interrupted by a student yelling "Suck my dick!", as an insult.

1 use of thank god, spic, oh my god, screw, dick and fuck 21 uses of hell 3 uses of bitch 1 paired with son of a and nigger 7 uses of damn 4 used as goddamn 14 uses of shit 3 paired with bull 5 uses of bastard and ass 1 used as asshole

8 misuses of God's name.

Considering that the rape was somewhat obvious, if an unrated version of the movie were to air, Cinemax content advisory: rated TV-MA-DLV for violence (V), rape (RP), adult language (AL), and adult content (AC).

Multiple uses of the s-word. Clark (Freeman) says "go to hell." Some of the lyrics in the soundtrack contain bad words/phrases. Clark tells a kid that if he wants to kill himself "don't fuck around with it"

Students are known for taking drugs and one student is shown accepting drugs from a drug dealer. Many students smoke at the beginning of the movie before the new principal (Freeman) rules it forbidden. Clark (Freeman) tells a young student who has been smoking crack that the student will kill himself if he keeps taking drugs.

While not a downright intense movie, there is a lot of tension in this movie and that can make the movie intense from time to time. The opening scene really showcases what a living nightmare Eastside High was before Joe Clark came in. The fights are brutal. Like "187" this could have very well been a hard R movie. The opening scenes have graphic wound shots of the injured victims. The racism of the white faculty towards Clark. The plotting, the scheming against him by Gaynes and Bottman. Not a movie for kids.

Very similar to the later Warner Bros. Movies like "187", in that the 15 rating is borderline misleading. "South Central" was originally hard R (18 in the UK). And "187" was likely hard R/NC-17 (and originally 18 in the UK). This movie has a very brutal opening.