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The Best R-Rated Movies You Probably Haven’t Seen

The Best R-Rated Movies You Probably Haven’t Seen

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I like to think I have seen most of the best R-rated movies available, but it’s doubtful. Even though there were no film ratings until 1968, there are currently more than 17,000 movies with an R rating.

Before 1968, production companies followed The Hayes Code. It came out in 1930 providing guidelines designed to prevent censorship and complaints from the public. The original guidelines warned against abortion, drug use, interracial relationships, and prostitution. Those were removed, but these restrictions remained.

  • Blasphemy and ridicule of any religion
  • Nudity, including a nude silhouette
  • Obscenity
  • Profanity, with “damn” and “hell” being allowed in certain situations

Since the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) introduced ratings, close to 30,000 movies have been rated. Of those, 17,202 are rated R. R-rated movies are the most prevalent beating out G-rated movies (1,574), PG-rated (5,578), and PG-13 (4,913) combined. What goes into an R-rating? Here is a breakdown of what the MPAA looks at when rating films.

  • Adult themes
  • Cursing and adult language
  • Drug use and abuse
  • Sexually-oriented nudity
  • Violence

What’s important to realize is that a movie with an R-rating isn’t one that children shouldn’t see. It’s a warning to parents that children under the age of 17 shouldn’t see the movie without an adult or guardian present. An NC-17 rating is higher and is a movie that children under the age of 17 wouldn’t be allowed to watch in a theater, even with an adult present.

With more than 17,000 movies with an R-rating, you’ve unlikely seen them all. See how many of the best R-rated movies you’ve missed.

To determine the best R-rated movies you’ve never seen, 24/7 Tempo developed an index of movies using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of March 2024, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only R-rated movies with between 10,000 and 50,000 votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. Documentaries were not considered. Directorial credits are from IMDb. (Discover additional best R-rated movies by reading “13 of the Best Cult Classics of the ’70s.”)

50. Gods and Monsters (1998)

Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate Films
  • IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (31,431 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (13,129 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (67 reviews)
  • Directed by: Bill Condon

49. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Source: Courtesy of Turtle Releasing
  • IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (47,165 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (24,708 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (44 reviews)
  • Directed by: John Carpenter

48. Body Heat (1981)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
  • IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (33,308 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (10,489 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (42 reviews)
  • Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan

47. All That Jazz (1979)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
  • IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (29,819 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (11,783 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (44 reviews)
  • Directed by: Bob Fosse

46. Sin Nombre (2009)

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (33,615 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (21,325 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (120 reviews)
  • Directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga

45. Lenny (1974)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (16,470 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (6,556 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (26 reviews)
  • Directed by: Bob Fosse

44. Mystery Train (1989)

Source: Courtesy of Orion Classics
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (27,056 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (10,591 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (35 reviews)
  • Directed by: Jim Jarmusch

43. Vera Drake (2004)

Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (26,307 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (11,647 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (162 reviews)
  • Directed by: Mike Leigh

42. The Tenant (1976)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (42,042 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (11,360 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (32 reviews)
  • Directed by: Roman Polanski

41. The Joy Luck Club (1993)

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (15,952 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (27,720 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (84 reviews)
  • Directed by: Wayne Wang

40. Big Night (1996)

Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
  • IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (18,990 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (8,199 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (56 reviews)
  • Directed by: Campbell Scott & Stanley Tucci

39. Nashville (1975)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (25,206 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (10,108 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (70 reviews)
  • Directed by: Robert Altman

37. Diva (1982)

Diva (1982) | Thuy An Luu in Diva (1981)
Source: Courtesy of United Artists Classics

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (13,938 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (6,447 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (56 reviews)
  • Directed by: Jean-Jacques Beineix

36. Seconds (1966)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (18,912 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (4,496 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (35 reviews)
  • Directed by: John Frankenheimer

35. The Verdict (1982)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (38,047 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (10,404 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (34 reviews)
  • Directed by: Sidney Lumet

34. Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

Bullets Over Broadway (1994) | Chazz Palminteri, Tony Sirico, and Joe Viterelli in Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (37,974 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (17,034 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (58 reviews)
  • Directed by: Woody Allen

33. American Splendor (2003)

Source: Courtesy of HBO Films
  • IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (48,914 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (44,582 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (187 reviews)
  • Directed by: Robert Pulcini

31. Ordinary People (1980)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (49,514 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (23,252 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (55 reviews)
  • Directed by: Robert Redford

30. Richard III (1995)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists
  • IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (14,342 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (7,022 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (50 reviews)
  • Directed by: Richard Loncraine

29. Husbands and Wives (1992)

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (28,553 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (14,177 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (42 reviews)
  • Directed by: Woody Allen

28. The Commitments (1991)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (34,153 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (28,407 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (45 reviews)
  • Directed by: Alan Parker

27. Fresh (1994)

Source: Courtesy of Miramax
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (12,788 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (8,058 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (40 reviews)
  • Directed by: Boaz Yakin

26. Smoke (1995)

Source: Courtesy of Miramax
  • IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (35,265 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (10,576 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (29 reviews)
  • Directed by: Wayne Wang

25. Monsoon Wedding (2001)

Monsoon Wedding (2001) | Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Source: Courtesy of No Distributor Found

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (25,333 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (27,606 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (126 reviews)
  • Directed by: Mira Nair

22. The Castle (1999)

Source: Courtesy of Miramax
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (16,962 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (14,641 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (39 reviews)
  • Directed by: Rob Sitch

21. Waiting for Guffman (1996)

Source: Courtesy of Castle Rock Entertainment
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (28,141 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (41,610 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (55 reviews)
  • Directed by: Christopher Guest

20. The Long Goodbye (1973)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (28,665 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (10,334 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (47 reviews)
  • Directed by: Robert Altman

19. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

Source: Courtesy of Avenue Pictures Productions
  • IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (37,868 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (22,934 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (28 reviews)
  • Directed by: Gus Van Sant

18. The Magdalene Sisters (2003)

The Magdalene Sisters (2003) | The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
Source: Courtesy of Miramax

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (27,940 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (13,370 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (150 reviews)
  • Directed by: Peter Mullan

17. Maria Full of Grace (2004)

Source: Randall Michelson Archive / Contributor / Getty Images
  • IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (34,635 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (39,744 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (146 reviews)
  • Directed by: Joshua Marston

16. You Can Count on Me (2000)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Classics
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (29,204 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (10,674 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (105 reviews)
  • Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan

15. Down by Law (1986)

Source: Courtesy of Island Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (49,905 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (22,383 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (31 reviews)
  • Directed by: Jim Jarmusch

14. Belle de Jour (1968)

Belle de Jour (1968) | Catherine Deneuve and Pierre Clémenti in Belle de Jour (1967)
Source: Courtesy of Allied Artists Pictures

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (46,995 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (4,210 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (59 reviews)
  • Directed by: Luis Buñuel

13. Stranger Than Paradise (1984)

Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (36,300 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (15,648 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (26 reviews)
  • Directed by: Jim Jarmusch

12. The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (36,111 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (11,680 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (60 reviews)
  • Directed by: Atom Egoyan

11. The Wedding Banquet (1993)

Source: Courtesy of The Samuel Goldwyn Company
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (14,831 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (1,685 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (28 reviews)
  • Directed by: Ang Lee

10. Short Cuts (1993)

Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (43,712 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (22,738 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (58 reviews)
  • Directed by: Robert Altman

9. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
  • IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (10,517 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (3,235 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (28 reviews)
  • Directed by: Paul Schrader

8. Europa Europa (1991)

Source: Courtesy of Orion Classics
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (17,028 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (6,942 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (21 reviews)
  • Directed by: Agnieszka Holland

7. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (34,486 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (49,745 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (117 reviews)
  • Directed by: John Cameron Mitchell

5. A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

Source: Courtesy of Faces International
  • IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (23,726 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (8,243 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (31 reviews)
  • Directed by: John Cassavetes

4. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists
  • IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (28,840 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (9,478 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (42 reviews)
  • Directed by: Joseph Sargent

3. Once Were Warriors (1995)

Once Were Warriors (1995) | Mere Boynton and Rena Owen in Once Were Warriors (1994)
Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features

N/A

  • IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (35,833 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (29,728 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (46 reviews)
  • Directed by: Lee Tamahori

2. Secrets & Lies (1996)

Source: Courtesy of October Films
  • IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (45,526 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (11,346 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (45 reviews)
  • Directed by: Mike Leigh

1. The Last Picture Show (1971)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (45,056 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (14,197 votes)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (58 reviews)
  • Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich
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