Rated

When I first saw the trailer a few days ago, it hooked me immediately and I could hardly wait to see the full feature! I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this short film for so long and it did not disappoint! It is such a clever idea with a great message. It is beautifully written, laugh out loud hilarious with strong performances by all. It's fun for the whole family and appropriate for all ages...which is rare these days. Our family watched it 3 times in a row! I have heard that it might be made into a full feature length film? Fingers crossed that this is the case because this short film left me wanting more! Truly a gem! Lana Bolton

Really, do not miss this film. This is one of the funniest, original, well played shorts I have ever seen. I saw this at the Savannah film festival, not having read or knowing anything about it, and was extremely pleasantly surprised. I had a huge smile on my face the whole time and I was only sad when it was finished, I really wanted more!

Rated is about a woman named Maggie (Christie Lynn Smith) who is alerted of 2½ stars hovering above her head by her daughter Hannah (Abby Ryder Fortson) during breakfast. After becoming aware of the stars that loom above her, she awakes her husband (John Fortson), and realizes that he too has stars that loom above his head. The problem though, is that he has 5 out of 5, significantly higher than her. As the story progresses Maggie leaves her home, only to come to the realization that the 5 star system looms over the head of every adult. The prominent issue is that most of the adults have 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 5 stars and the ratings are based off of behavior. The reason for her low rating is due to her poor rating and treatment of others. She also finds out that lower rated adults are restricted from certain areas. These discriminations she faces make her a social outlier and begin to cause her stress and irritation. Maggie knows the reason she's rated lower than most of the other adults and she is well aware how it can be changed, but whether she is willing to make an improvement in her attitude is up to her. How will the discrimination Maggie will face affect her life? Is Maggie willing to make the changes necessary to improve her rating?

I highly recommend seeing this short as soon as possible. Rated will completely exceed any prejudgements. It is incredibly funny, the story contains a narrative that explores themes relevant to modern society through clever and comedic deliverance. From beginning to end it demands your attention by drawing the viewer's curiosity through the peculiarity of the rating system and how speculation on how it influences the characters. Rated satirizes the way we allow rating based systems, especially those found on social networks, to influence our reputation and emotional well-being. Despite Rated's comedic deliverance, at certain points it forces the viewer to think about situations that create separation and have occurred or are currently occurring. Christie Lynn Smith, the actress who plays Maggie and John Fortson, the actor who plays Brian, display a wonderful chemistry on the screen together. Both of them display performances that are realistic and feel relatable, which is why this short film is so enjoyable. If you get the chance, definitely go see Rated.

Rated is a comedy short that manages to be exceptional because in addition to being funny, there is a heck of a lot of depth and social commentary hidden within a simple plot. It was my favorite comedy short of the day.

When the film begins, a woman awakens and gets her children ready for the day. However, her young daughter is shocked...so shocked that instead of telling mommy something, she drags her to the mirror to show her. It seems that Mommy has stars that are floating above her head!! And, as Mommy moves, the stars move with her and they won't disappear. It's a neat little special effect and it literally looks like rating stars are hovering above her throughout the movie. It turns out this is true of all the adults...each person has a rating that apparently was generated by some website where folks can rate each other! What's worse is that Daddy has five stars over his head....and Mommy only has two and a half!! He tells her not to worry, but she is panicked and doesn't want to leave the house.

Soon, you see that her fears are not groundless. All the adults at her daughter's school have the stars over their heads and a few of them are quite sanctimonious about this. A few, on the other hand, are surly...and the stars above their heads seem to reflect this! What can Mommy do? And why does she only have two and a half stars? Well, the delightful little actress that plays the daughter gently reminds her that she needs to 'remember her tone'! In other words, if you are nice and treat people well, you would have a higher rating.

What happens next is what takes this from a simple comedy to the next level. Soon, the four and five star folks start feeling superior and mistreating the lower starred folks. After all, these people only have themselves to blame. So what's next in this insightful little film? See it for yourself...I highly recommend you do.

Not only did John Fortson star in this film as the nice husband, it turns out he wrote and directed it as well. Up until now, Fortson has been strictly an actor and while it's hard to believe it, this is his first attempt at writing or directing. Some guys apparently can do it all and he elicited a marvelous performance from his young actress, Abbey Ryder Fortson...who happens to be his daughter. And, incidentally, his wife in the film is also his lovely wife, Christie Lynn Smith and the little boy is also their son! What's he going to do as an encore-- perhaps play ALL the parts and film it at the same time?! Or, is he going to get his family to film, edit and produce it?!

Just outstanding, I mean how did they the come up with such an amazing idea? John Fortson is so inspiring, amazing acting by Christie Lynn Smith, and of course Abby! I don't even need to tell anything! Such a clever story! This movie is one unforgettable! This movie deserves a lot more! It's just a MASTERPIECE!!!! It's the best short Film!