Steve McQueen's Shame has been getting tons of buzz and critical acclaim, and much of that praise is on display in the new trailer for the film. Unfortunately, so is the movie's biggest stumbling block: an NC-17 rating. That ruling was first reported last week and stands as a serious impediment since many theater chains will not show movies with the NC-17 rating.

You'll only find hints of the so-called "objectionable" material in the newly released and clip from Shame, which stars Michael Fassbender as a sex addict whose life is turned upside down when his sister moves in with him. What you will find, however, is a seriously stylish trailer and a bunch of mid-date repartee between Fassbender's Brandon and a lovely lady who has no patience for time travel. The clip doesn't end in an orgiastic display of writhing flesh, so clearly Shame is on its best behavior this time.





I could go into the ridiculous double standard that sexually explicit movies such as Shame struggle to avoid an NC-17 rating whereas movies packed stem-to-stern with carnage of every sort -- the Saw movies, the Final Destinations, etc. -- sail through with an R, but it just seems pointless. Maybe eventually our society will reach the point where it finds stories honestly dealing with sexuality, or even God forbid a brief accidental flash of some celebrity's nipple, are less shocking and objectionable than watching someone have their limbs and head rotated past the breaking point, but the MPAA certainly won't be at the forefront of that revolution. In the meantime, thank you, MPAA, for protecting us from ourselves and our naughty, naughty desires to see this critically acclaimed film.

Shame is currently slated for limited release on December 2nd from Fox Searchlight. Hopefully they'll find a way to appeal the rating down to a more palatable R before then. You can also watch the above clip and trailer in full HD over at Apple.