In 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America implemented a film rating system designed to help parents decide what is suitable for their children to watch. Since then, they have assigned an R (restricted) rating to over half the films they’ve judged. Movies with an R rating generally contain mature content, including sexuality and nudity, persistent violence and gore, drug or alcohol use, and profanity.
Although some explicit films may gratuitously depict sex or violence, the best R-rated movies make use of the creative freedom provided by the rating to explore more nuanced themes or scenarios than those found in films rated G, PG, or PG-13. Many of these films have received critical acclaim and some even won Oscars.
A key indicator of a movie’s exceptional quality, whether it is rated R or not, is achieving a 100% approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, which measures the collective opinion of a wide range of critics. After reviewing Tomatometer ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, 24/7 Tempo identified 20 films that had a Tomatometer score of 100% and a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of at least 60% as of April 2023. Listed here, the movies are ordered chronoligically by their release date, excluding documentaries. Cast and director credits are from IMDb, an online database of movies and TV shows owned by Amazon.
With the exception of “The Terminator,” the majority of these films are not blockbusters or Best Picture winners. Instead, most belong to niche genres with cult followings, or they are smaller budget indie pictures that resonated with audiences and critics due to their insightful exploration of humanity.
Several exploitation films from the 1970s made the cut, as did war movies, coming-of-age stories, and crime films. A handful of comedies and action adventures have earned perfect scores, as have some award-winning independent films that debuted at festivals, including Allison Anders’ “Things Behind the Sun,” which explores the aftermath of rape on both perpetrators and survivors, and Richard Linklater’s European romance “Before Sunrise.” (Overall, these are the top rated R-rated movies of all time.)
Here are 19 R-rated movies with perfect scores on Rotten Tomatoes:
19. The Sadist (1963)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (5 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (1,207 votes)
- Starring: Joan Howard, Arch Hall Jr., Helen Hovey
- Directed by: James Landis
18. The Last Picture Show (1971)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (58 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (14,197 votes)
- Starring: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd
- Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich
17. Heat (1972)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (9 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62% (2,681 votes)
- Starring: Joe Dallesandro, Sylvia Miles, Andrea Feldman
- Directed by: Paul Morrissey
16. The Big Bird Cage (1972)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (5 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (2,411 votes)
- Starring: Pam Grier, Anitra Ford, Candice Roman
- Directed by: Jack Hill
15. Cockfighter (1974)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (6 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (809 votes)
- Starring: Warren Oates, Richard B. Shull, Harry Dean Stanton
- Directed by: Monte Hellman
14. Smithereens (1982)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (11 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (559 votes)
- Starring: Susan Berman, Brad Rijn, Richard Hell
- Directed by: Susan Seidelman
13. The Terminator (1984)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (65 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (776,923 votes)
- Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
- Directed by: James Cameron
12. Hamburger Hill (1987)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (12 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (33,083 votes)
- Starring: Anthony Barrile, Michael Boatman, Don Cheadle
- Directed by: John Irvin
11. Swimming to Cambodia (1987)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (10 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (1,581 votes)
- Starring: Spalding Gray
- Directed by: Jonathan Demme
10. Deadly Pursuit (1988)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (14 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (6,108 votes)
- Starring: Sidney Poitier, Tom Berenger, Kirstie Alley
- Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode
9. South Central (1992)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (6 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (6,135 votes)
- Starring: Glenn Plummer, Byron Minns, Lexie Bigham
- Directed by: Stephen Milburn Anderson
8. Passion Fish (1992)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (25 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (2,874 votes)
- Starring: Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Angela Bassett
- Directed by: John Sayles
7. The Music of Chance (1993)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (14 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (844 votes)
- Starring: James Spader, Mandy Patinkin, M. Emmet Walsh
- Directed by: Philip Haas
6. Three Colors: Red (1994)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (62 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (25,000 votes)
- Starring: Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Frédérique Feder
- Directed by:Krzysztof Kieślowski
5. Before Sunrise (1995)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (46 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (73,661 votes)
- Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert
- Directed by: Richard Linklater
4. Bаstard Out of Carolina (1996)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (9 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (5,301 votes)
- Starring: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ron Eldard, Glenne Headly
- Directed by: Anjelica Huston
3. Things Behind the Sun (2001)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (12 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (1,069 votes)
- Starring: Kim Dickens, Gabriel Mann, Aria Alpert Adjani
- Directed by: Allison Anders
2. Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (11 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (2,757 votes)
- Starring: Michael Blieden, Stephanie Courtney, Matt Price
- Directed by: Bob Odenkirk
1. The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down (2006)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (5 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (500 votes)
- Starring: Cricket Leigh, Kat Turner, John McGarr
- Directed by: Paul Sapiano