It's no secret that director Kevin Smith has been having a rough time in getting an R-rating for his new comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Last month star Seth Rogen went on the record and said the MPAA was giving them trouble with some of the sex stuff in the film. Well now it’s not just rumoring, Zack and Miri has been officially hit with the NC-17 kiss of death.

It was the guys at Kevin’s own site NewsAskew who first uncovered it. A search on the MPPA’s official site lists Zack and Miri Make a Porno as “Rating: NC-17”. Reason for the rating? As expected, “Rated NC-17 for some graphic sexuality.” Gee, thanks MPAA. As if we couldn’t figure that out from the title. I’m sure people everywhere were planning to take their kids.

Though I think we’d all rather see the NC-17 cut and watch the movie as its director originally intended it to be seen, slapping any movie with an NC-17 spells box office doom. Not because people won’t show up to see it, but because most major theaters will refuse to carry it, thus taking away our right to choose whether or not we want it in front of our eyes. The really frustrating thing in this particular case is that if any filmmaker has the kind of audience necessary to blow up the stigma attached to an NC-17, it’s Kevin Smith. Heck, an NC-17 rating might even help his ticket sales… his crowd is going to be there money in hand regardless. Sadly if it’s not playing, they’re powerless to support it.

Don’t worry though, the fight’s not over for Kevin Smith’s Porno. Under the movie’s rating on the MPAA site, there’s a little note which reads: “Pending Appeal”. That means they’re fighting the rating, and there’s still reason to think this thing will eventually get the R it needs to show up in a theater near you. Of course who knows what sort of cuts Kevin will have to make to his film in order to achieve that. When the MPAA gets involved with what you’ll be allowed to see, there’s always a depressing chance that one of the casualties of their interference could be the movie’s funniest scene. I guess there’s always DVD.