Michael Moore is getting into the ring with the Motion Picture Association of America after the organization gave his upcoming documentary, “Where to Invade Next,” an R rating.

The director said he will be rejecting the rating and will appeal the decision. This isn’t the first time Moore has clashed with the MPAA’s ratings board. He previously appealed the R rating given to “Fahrenheit 9/11.” Other Moore pictures have attracted attention for their ratings — the late film critic Roger Ebert slammed the MPAA for giving an R to Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine,” and “60 Minutes” devoted a program to examining why his film “Roger and Me” earned the same designation.

Other high-profile projects, such as “Blue Valentine” and “Bully,” have gone head-to-head with the ratings board in recent years with varying degrees of success. “Blue Valentine” was appealing to change its NC-17 designation to an R, but “Bully” had to be released unrated after losing its R rating appeal. Win or lose, a good old fashioned ratings fight is often good for generating headlines and free publicity. Harvey Weinstein, who distributed “Fahrenheit 9/11,” has been particularly adroit at capitalizing on these dust-ups.