Rated: Raunch

Friday, July 16, 1999 | 9:37 a.m.

In the mocking heavy-metal music satire "This is Spinal Tap," air-headed guitarist David St. Hubbins (expertly portrayed by Michael McKeon) has the following exchange with equally dim-witted bassist Derek Smalls (played by Harry Shearer):

David: "It's such a fine line between stupid and ... "

Derek: 'Clever."

David: "Yeah, and clever."

Given that morsel of inspired logic, there's also a fine line between funny and gross. This summer's movies straddle that line, particularly raunchy, R-rated efforts such as "American Pie" and "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" (the former featuring pie fornication and the latter a festival of flatulence and f-words).

And lines leading into the theater for both are swelling with 17-and-under viewers hoping to partake in the adult-oriented debauchery. Theater managers, in turn, have advised employees to watch for younger-looking customers trying to finagle their way into R-rated films.

"There has been a concerted effort in United Artists to watch for just that kind of thing," UA Showcase Mall theater manager Tom Ippolito, who oversees eight screening rooms, said. "We've had discussions internally, from the company CEO on down. The emphasis has been, with everything going on around the country, for Hollywood and theaters to show more responsibility when it comes to movies with adult material."

Recent school shootings in Colorado and Georgia prompted President Clinton and the National Association of Theater Owners to jointly announce June 9 that absolutely no one under the age of 17 will be admitted to R-rated films and teenagers must provide identification.

The rating rule has been in place for 30 years, but the emphasis on teen violence has prompted renewed emphasis on controlling what types of movies young viewers are allowed to patronize.

Violent films are the chief target, but kids are more interested in ribald, gross-out movies such as "American Pie" and "South Park."

"I don't think violence is the key when it comes to what kids want to see," Ippolito said. " 'South Park' and 'American Pie' are the really hot films. They're adult comedies with adult language, but definitely geared toward younger audiences, and that's where you have the problem.

"By far, the most popular movies for kids are the R-rated comedies. Something like 'The General's Daughter,' kids don't really care about, and that's a really violent film."

The most recent movie ratings show five R-rated films in the top 10, with "American Pie" topping the list. "The General's Daughter" is fifth, "Arlington Road," sixth, "South Park," eighth and "Summer of Sam," 10th. Stanley Kubrick's sexual obsession drama "Eyes Wide Shut," with Tom Cruise (see story on this page) and Nicole Kidman, which was almost rated NC-17 but made enough cuts to get an R, opens today.

The irony surrounding the popularity of 'South Park' is that Kyle, Kenny, Stan and Cartman bribe a homeless man to watch an R-rated movie and walk out using salty language more befitting the cast of "Goodfellas."

"I don't know if that movie has had any more or less adverse effects on kids than any other R-rated comedy," Ippolito said. "But that one plot line with the guys getting into the R-rated movie has been played out, for sure."

During one recent weeknight at the Showcase mall theater, featuring four R-rated films, a line of around 20 people waited to buy tickets to either "American Pie" or "South Park." Many were teenagers, and most of them were not accompanied by an adult.

"I've seen 'South Park' five times and I'm going to see 'American Pie' for the first time," 17-year-old Craig Evans said. "My parents know I'm here. I'm with friends and their parents all know we're here, and they're aware of what kinds of movies these are."

Evans said a year ago he was able to see any R-rated film he liked, even though he was not legally of age.

"I never got carded until this summer," he said. "I don't understand the connection between a cartoon like 'South Park' and kids getting shot at Columbine High, but the rules are there for a reason and I guess they feel like they need to make some sort of a statement."

Evans' date, Meagan Thomas, said the ratings themselves are at fault.

"How can you say a movie like 'American Pie' is going to cause someone to become violent?" Thomas, also 17, said. "I can see a really violent movie being rated R or even NC-17, but the only reason 'South Park' is rated R is because of the language.

"Besides, when a movie's rated R, it kind of makes you want to see it more. I'm thinking that 'American Pie' must be pretty outrageous to be rated R, so it makes me more curious about it."

A similar scene unfolded at the Regal Cinemas at Village Square, where a collection of teenagers awaited tickets for "South Park."

"You have to remember to have your ID at all times, that's the only bad part," 18-year-old Brian Stanley said. "But if you don't have it, you can buy a ticket for some other PG- or G-rated movie and get in. There's always a way to get in."

Enforcing the under-17 rule is never easy for theater managers.

"You have to use your judgment and eyeball kids, get a feel for what a 17- or 16-year-old kid looks like," Ippolito said. "That's about the only way you can spot these kids. But nothing is 100 percent foolproof, and kids can be pretty tricky when they want to get in to see something."

One popular method underage kids employ is, as Stanley noted, simply buying a ticket for a G-rated film and slipping into an R-rated feature.

"Look at 'Tarzan,' for example," Ippolito said. "That movie is No. 4 at the box office right now, but I can guarantee you a lot of that is because kids buy a ticket for 'Tarzan' and slip into 'South Park.' There are things you can do to combat that, but it's not feasible for a lot of theaters to police every single theater at all hours.

"Besides, we want to be an inclusive business, and when you're running around from theater to theater it can be a hassle to all customers."

Establishing who is and isn't a guardian can also be difficult. The law simply states that anyone under 17 must be accompanied by an adult. Underage kids are allowed tickets to R-rated movies when they are purchased by a parent or adult guardian, but some theaters maintain that the adult must accompany the teenager into the theater.

"If I'm going to allow my son to see 'American Pie,' I don't necessarily want to see the movie myself," said David Moore, a father of two teenagers who was waiting in line to see 'South Park,' with his wife at the Showcase mall theater. "I can live with the rule that I should be there when he buys the ticket, but don't require me to spend money on a movie I don't want to see."

The most common policy is for theaters to determine guardianship, then allow kids into the screening room.

"What we do is use a P.C. stamp -- 'parental consent' -- for kids with a guardian," Ippolito said. "That stamp works. You can't watch everybody, but once someone is stamped the guessing game is over."

Sneaking in is still a somewhat fashionable way to get around the law.

"Someone can pay for a ticket and then open the exit door and let people in," Stanley said. "That's not too cool, though. I've seen that more for people who can't afford a movie instead of trying to get into an R-rated movie."

A different set of challenges faces Las Vegas Drive-In Manager Mike Townsend.

"In the past we've caught a few kids jumping the fence," Townsend said. "That's been our biggest problem as far as people getting in to see what they're not supposed to see. When it happens, they're escorted out and the people they were going to meet are escorted out, too."

Townsend, however, does have an advantage. Because the five-screen theater in North Las Vegas is literally a drive-in experience, establishing adult guardianship is made easy.

"The great thing about us is they're driving, so the age factor has already been taken care of," Townsend said. "We don't have many under-17 adolescents who come in without a guardian. I've noticed a lot of parents bringing kids out to see 'South Park,' but that's legal and OK. I feel really sorry for some of these walk-in (theaters), with 12-year-olds trying to get in to see 'South Park' and playing a cat-and-mouse game."

Ippolito, for one, has played that game.

"Let's face it, trying to get into a movie you're not supposed to (get into) is sort of a tradition," he said. "It's been going on forever, long before I was in the business. Everyone has a memory of trying to get in to see an R-rated movie when you're a kid."

Ippolito readily remembers the sneak-in experience of his youth.

"Oh, yeah, I was guilty of it, too," he said. "My movie was 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High.' I snuck into that one, so I know all of the little tricks."

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