The poster for Kevin Smith's upcoming mainstream feature Zack and Miri Make a Porno has been rejected by the Motion Picture Association of America's Classification and Rating Administration.

Although the MPAA rating system is voluntary, if a film is unrated many theaters will not show it and many newspapers and TV stations will not accept advertising for it. As part of the MPAA rating system, all advertising materials must be reviewed by CARA's Advertising Administration, which evaluates them on suitability for general audiences.

The MPAA statement on the disapproval of the artwork said "the artwork is highly sexually suggestive and not suitable for general audiences. The Advertising Administration carefully reviews all advertising and publicity for rated films to ensure that most American parents would find it appropriate for placement where it will be viewed by the general public, children in particular, such as on billboards, bus shelters and in newspapers. The Weinstein Company subsequently has re-submitted the artwork that the Advertising Administration has approved."

“When you’ve got the word ‘porno’ in the title, naturally, the marketing materials are gonna be scrutinized more closely by the MPAA,” Smith told reporters. “I understand they’ve got a job to do, but c’mon. This image isn’t that dirty; they’re both fully clad.”

Smith had previously appealed the MPAA's original NC-17 rating for the film to an R.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as friends and roommates who try to make an adult movie to dig themselves out of debt. The cast also features adult actress Katie Morgan. It is set for release from The Weinstein Company on Oct. 31.

Little-known fact: mainstream movie trailers are color-coded. Ever notice that when a mainstream movie trailer has an opening slug that says "This movie has been rated [whatever]. This trailer has been approved for General Audiences" — the background is green?

There's a reason for that.

Sometimes filmmakers will make — and the MPAA will approve — trailers that are not approved for general audiences. Those trailers also have a slug that says that the film and the trailer have been approved for restricted audiences.

The background on that slug is red, to warn the projectionist that an R-rated trailer is about to start and if the show is not R-rated to stop it at once.

Interesting, no?