Rated R?

I think it's for the language in the beginning, also probably the violence (the scene where Frankie murders Margaret, when "Doug" assaults Mike after trying to make off with Grace, Frankie's murder as an adult of his elderly mother, and the shooting/stabbing/scissor sculpture death of adult Frankie at the end, very possibly the complicated, adult content - but remember, this movie came out in 1991 - the passage of fifteen years has somewhat changed some of the reasons why movies get rated "R". Sure, it's complex and has some violence, the barest hints of sex, but is tame violence-wise in comparison to today's movies. Things have changed a bit over the last 15 years.