Unfortunately the next film which won the NC-17 rating was Showgirls, a film which, as Roger Ebert expressed, "had so much nudity, the sexy parts are when the girls put on their clothes," but very little in the categories of art or intellect. Most movie theater chains, already nervous about what an NC-17 rating might mean, took this as a sign that NC-17 was in fact an X rating in sheep's clothing and refused to carry NC-17 pictures. NC-17 was ghettoized and became considered enough of a death knell to the success of a prospective film that some filmmakers, like Todd Solondz (Happiness) or Larry Clark (Kids) were willing to forgo the rating process altogether and release their films unrated rather than risk the damage of an NC-17 rating.

Since the rating's initial stumble, there have been many who hoped that some director and production company would finally be brave enough to release a quality NC-17 picture in order to get the rating out of the dog house. As more and more DVDs are being successfully released to the general public in "unrated" versions, the hope existed too that perhaps America was finally ready for real adult pictures that weren't a euphemism for porn. Thus when Ang Lee, a well respected (Incredible Hulk notwithstanding) and Academy Award winning director, agreed to release his World War II espionage thriller with an NC-17 rating, it was seen by many as the picture that would prove that NC-17 is a rating that in the words of the intro for Mr. Lee, "serious filmmakers should take seriously."

The award was accepted by Ang Lee and his longtime producing partner James Schamus. Schamus was also, interestingly enough, the producer for the film Happiness, which allowed him to make a delightful and interesting speech about doing the ratings waltz with the MPAA. He described meeting with the MPAA review board to argue the NC-17 rating which had been assigned to Happiness. He described the board as each, in their own way, "with their purses and man purses, looking like Margaret Thatcher, without the raw sexuality for which she is famous." After he made an reasoned, impassioned, and informative argument as to why Happiness should be spared NC-17 ignominy, the other side offered this eloquent rebuttal: "It's obvious why this movie should be NC-17."

Over ten years later, Lee and Schamus have decided to meet the MPAA at their own game: create a quality, intelligent picture which proudly bears the NC-17 label and then allow movie theater owners to explain to their customers why, for their own good, the theater is refusing to show them Ang Lee's latest work of art. Lust/Caution has made over four million dollars at the US box office and, hopefully, has washed most of the Joe Esterhaus off of the NC-17 designation.