There’s a new documentary called Bully that’s been making the rounds and gathering a lot of attention because the movie has received an “R-Rating” from the MPAA. It’s a very tricky subject to deal with and one that we’ve already heard much about from celebrities. Unfortunately, as much as famous types might think they’re bringing the subject into awareness, I feel like the topic is often a publicist-advocated “relatability” talking point. Just in the past few months (and these are merely examples that pop off the top of my head), we’ve heard how Jessica Chastain was bullied for being a redhead, Demi Lovato was bullied for being fat, and Lady Gaga was bullied for being “so serious about music.” On that last note, I really do think Gaga is full of crap. Yes, she’s launched a Harvard Foundation, but it’s really all about her “Born This Way” shtick. Gaga has spent years educating her monsters about how she’s merely an artiface, and I don’t see much reason to think she’s suddenly telling the truth when it’s really all about record sales for Gaga. Kaiser agrees that Gaga has “co-opted” the recent resurrection of the bullying topic for herself and believes the “It Gets Better“ video campaign from various celebrities was much more effective in getting the message across. I agree.
But enough about Gaga. At this point, the main problem that the Bully documentary is running into is that it’s geared to educate teenagers, but thanks to the MPAA, now most of them (theoretically) won’t be able to watch the movie until they’re nearly out of their teens. The movie will receive a limited release on March 30, and here’s the trailer:
The Weinstein Co is the studio behind Bully and has held some screenings for the film in the interest of developing word of mouth. After one showing, Page Six talked to David LaChappelle, who has a particularly poignant reflection about the documentary:
There was barely a dry eye at the Crosby Street Hotel screening of Bully, Lee Hirsch’s powerful film about bullied teens and parents of kids who have committed suicide. Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa hosted Sunday’s Cinema Society/Bing screening of the Weinstein Co. movie for a group that included Michelle Trachtenberg, Andre Leon Talley, Prabal Gurung, Paul Haggis, Rachel Roy and David LaChapelle, who left the theater in tears. He told us, “Everyone must see this film. It is hard to watch, but it shows bullying is as intense as ever in schools. Now it doesn’t stop at the school bell — it carries on in social media, online and on text. I dropped out of school because I was bullied by a group who subjected me to unrelenting harassment because I dressed different. It ranged from ‘f—ot’ being written on my locker to five guys waiting outside of the classroom. There was nobody to help. I never finished high school — I dropped out at 15 and came to New York, and it saved my life.”
He added, “I was in tears watching this film. For each of those kids shown there are thousands more being bullied for not fitting in, for being or looking different, or being gay. People need to see this film to see what our kids endure, and to change this.” Bully received an R rating from the MPAA because of six expletives — meaning fewer teens would be able to see it. Harvey Weinstein, along with stars including Ellen DeGeneres, Demi Lovato and Drew Brees, are campaigning to change the rating to PG-13. Weinstein is hosting a panel discussion with the MPAA chair, former Sen. Chris Dodd, on Thursday in DC. He said, “I’m hoping to bring kids from the movie … with their testimony, anything, including change, is possible, in my belief. We feel it is our duty to continue to … fight for the PG-13 rating Bully deserves. The families who courageously let us into their lives in Bully provide just a glimpse into what’s happening to children everywhere.”
[From Page Six]
You know what really tugs at my heartstrings about this trailer? The school bus scene. Bus drivers can’t watch all of those kids, and all hell really does break loose on those long rides home. In fact, I usually chose to walk a few miles home in middle school rather than experience the school bus bullies. Meanwhile, a number of other celebrities have joined forces to petition the MPAA for a “PG-13” rating for Bully:
Ellen DeGeneres, Drew Brees, Demi Lovato and actor Avan Tudor Jogia are among the celebrities who have joined a high-school student’s personal fight to get a documentary about bullying seen by as many kids as possible.
Katy Butler, a Michigan high school student who has experienced severe bullying, began a petition at Change.org to get the Motion Picture Association of America to change the R rating of the movie Bully to PG-13.
“It’s an important movie for everyone to see, especially kids,” DeGeneres, 54, said on her talk show last week, with Butler in the audience.
Lovato, 19, appealed to her 6 million Twitter followers: “Please help repeal the R rating on ‘BULLY.’ EVERYONE should be able to see it. Sign the petition.”
Butler’s petition, which is also being officially supported by 20 members of Congress, has drawn more than 280,000 signatures. She delivered more than 200,000 of those signatures to the MPAA’s Los Angeles office last week.
“We’ve got the MPAA’s attention, and with nearly 300,000 signatures and support from celebrities and politicians, there’s now a national movement of people calling on the MPAA to drop the R rating for Bully,” Butler says. “As someone who lived through bullying day in and day out in school, including having my finger broken by bullies, this film is too important to silence with an R rating. Everyone should have a chance to see Bully.”
[From People]
So here’s the thing. The MPAA seems particularly vigilant over the past several years. It gave Shame an “NC-17 Rating,” which is sort of understandable for the vast amount of full-frontal Fassdong (sorry, Kaiser) featured throughout. However, it also initially gave Blue Valentine the same rating, which was overturned on appeal (again on Weinstein’s time) in a major victory for oral sex. Maybe the MPAA isn’t quite as aggressive lately as they seem — maybe it’s just the recent crop of movies that “force” them to behave that way. Who knows? In a somewhat unanticipated move, Eli Roth has long been an advocate of the MPAA, but he’s spoken from the perspective that they’re a much better alternative than, say, a government-sanctioned ratings system. On that point, he’s correct. We don’t need Senators rating the Fassdong, right? (They wouldn’t stand a chance against that beast.) Still and at least in the case of Bully, the MPAA really needs to lighten up and let this movie be seen by the audience for which it was intended.
Photos courtesy of AllMoviePhoto
that’s ridiculous. the MPAA needs to down already. I hope they have a successful overturn for this. It seems like everyday you hear about a kid killing himself/herself over bullying.
“It seems like everyday you hear about a kid killing himself/herself over bullying.”
Which begs the question: are there more bullies or more kids willing to kill themselves?
Since this is a situation where everyone needs someone to blame, who is it? The bullies themselves, who are usually fueled by a mob mentality–they’d never behave that way without an audience–or their parents? Or the kids watching and doing nothing? Or maybe the parents of the bullied kids who haven’t shown their children value and happiness outside of others’ judgment? (Flame away.)
Maybe the problem is that we collectively trust the public school system not to be a FUBAR collection of other people’s agendas and mistakenly think it has something to do with education. It’s many things to many people (babysitter, psychologist, behavioral therapist, etc) but rarely does it accomplish its nominal goal. It’s a bully/victim factory, and either way, both kids lose.
Education is part of it though.
My kid’s a peer counselor at his high school. He’s a football player, big kid, has a good group of friends. And he only did the peer counseling originally cause it “looked good” on his high school record, but it’s really opened his eyes and helped him to join the ongoing discussion of bullying at his school.
He’s in a position to make a difference due to his social status, he’s made “little buddies” with certain kids who were being picked on, he’s learned humility and some understanding that he’s not the center of the universe.
So, no, I disagree in part with your point. A documentary like this doesn’t solve problems but it helps to work as a tool to open dialogue and discussion.
I have another child. Smaller, scrappier. During the Bully week education they do at school, a boy called my son out for having had bullied him in the past, it had really affected him. My son hadn’t ever been called on it, but the boy was able to do that in front of other classmates and it embarrassed the heck out of my son. And that’s good, he needed to be held accountable, he needed to feel that shame for what he had done. He ended up writing a letter to the boy telling him of his regret, and has tried since then to make amends in small ways.
So here’s two different ways hwere my kids have benefited from different programs within the schools to help combat bullies.
I had read that there argument was simply that had to apply the same guidlines across the board to be consistent. Everything has its place. No one in our society uses common sense anymore. It doesn’t occur to the MPAA that while they’re trying to “protect” the virgin ears of kids under 17…I’d say 95% (just a guess) use foul language on a very regular basis and hear it in droves as well.
I’m not sure there is consistency. Some pretty graphic violence seems to get rated lower than bad language or sex, and I don’t think there seems to be much of a rhyme or reason to some of their sex ratings
It’s being given that rating because it has expletives in it….for real do we really think teens haven’t heard/said worse.
from what I understand, it’s teens themselves using the expletives in the documentary – which only serves to underscore the ridiculous of the MPAA trying to “protect” them from their own language.
Agreed
at the very least maybe an AA rating – do those still exist?
So sad 🙁
What is the expletative limit for a PG-13 rating? Couldn’t the movie editor just bleep a couple out and meet the requirement? Does a bleep still count as an expletative? I’m not sure how these things work but it seems easier to go that route than collect hundreds of thousands of signatures. *shrug*
That’s what I was thinking too – if it’s a “strong language” issue, bleep the offending words. The message of the film will still come through.
Even if it remains an R, I hope parents will let their kids see it as they deem appropriate.
the irony is, these kids are hearing this being screamed at them or someone else in their school on a daily basis so it’s pretty stupid to have to bleep it out
My thinking is that they’d want to avoid the bleeping route simply because this movie can hopefully be used as an educational tool, both in terms of helping the bullied (this is what other kids are going through, you’re not alone) and opening the eyes of the bully (this is what happens when you say these cruel things). I feel like bleeping out the language is going to make the audience’s reaction less visceral, and therefore the message less powerful.
I think it’s one f-bomb. After that, the movie is rated R. At least that’s what they say in, Be Cool!
Watching that trailer kills me :/ So so so sad.
It’s disgusting that this movie can be put in the same category as “Project X” because of language that any 10 year old is familiar with. I wish the studios would just screw the ratings system and start releasing everything unrated. Force a change.
A friend of mines 5 Year Old is being bullied at school, she’s talked to the parents of the 2 girls and they “don’t want to inhibit” their daughter! Apparently cruel behavior doesn’t need to be inhibited! That’s how some of these parents think.
um, this is what happens when people don’t understand what the self esteem movement is really about. Self esteem comes through achievement – doing the work to feel good about themselves. Parents today in America think you hand deliver self esteem to them without any boundaries,and then they create monsters. It really annoys me how little parents regulate their children.
It is sickening to think of an 11-year-old being being driven to suicide by bullies. In some ways, I think today’s kids are more tolerant and more accepting of differences. But the fact is bullying is alive and well and the cynical side of me says it always will be.
I do hope the film is able to reach a wider/younger audience with a PG-13 rating, I’d like to think it might make a difference. Or at least start a conversation that otherwise might not have started.
I don’t believe that Gaga is in it merely for record sales. I think it’s more sinister than that.
I’m pretty sure she has delusions of ruling the world, being more powerful than the president.
She herself said at the Harvard thing that she thinks she was put on earth to do more than write silly little songs… she thinks she’s above that. The only reason she wrote the songs she did was to get famous so that she can take over the world. She doesn’t care about music which is why her songs are geared towards the lowest common denominator… it’s merely about what her music can do for her to get her to a place where she can pretend to be J.F. Kennedy or whatever.
Who are you talking about? Oh yeah, that turd on my shoe. Thank God she’s fast losing relevance these days.
These are words kids hear in school EVERYDAY. And I find it intersting that Fa*got is not as offensive a word as f*ck. The MPAA will allow bodies being blown to bits in PG-13 movies, but language is too offensive. I just do not understand it at all. I do understand the film makers not wanting to bleep the words, it takes away part of the intensitiy of the film, bleeping a word almost makes it funny and they don’t want that. However, if it gets the movies seen, if the R rating is not overturned, I would do it. And i understand all too well the effects to bullying, my high school experince was horrific and I totally related to what David LaChappelle was saying. It is really really hard to have to put up with it. I am so glad the internet was not an issue when I was in school. If you are being bullied stay strong and know that it does get better once you graduate and you can and will lead the life you want.
Heartbreaking. I have tears streaming down my face just watching the trailer. I understand the need for ratings but the MPAA needs to use some common sense here. This film needs to be shown in every school across the country. The denial from some of the adults in the film is criminal. My heart goes out to those parents of the 11 year old who killed himself. Bless them for not going away quietly.
The trailer really got me. I was bullied in school. I was pushed down stairs, beat up on the bus, told I was (fill in the blank – pick your poison). I lived through it, but I was a closed-off, untrusting person for much of my life as a result of it.
It was never clear why I was bullied. I got targeted for whatever reason, and went through hell.
So please – anyone reading this or this article or seeing the movie – talk to any kids you know. MAKE them see it. I don’t care if it’s R-rated, like the theater owners aren’t going to let kids in with parents?
Ask Adam Carolla about the corrupt ratings game: “The Hammer” rec’d an ‘R’ rating, and suffered thusly. If you’ve ever seen it, you know what a sweet and even heartwarming little film it was. An ‘R’ rating was so clearly punitive & political – there’s just no denying it.
Of course, when he talks about it, it’s quite funny. He knows their game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKo-J0c0lb0
While I agree the rating should be changed to PG-13, the R rating does not prohibit kids from watching the movie. They can see it if an adult takes them, and frankly, parents should take their kids to see this movie and schools should set up screenings, with parents and their kids. Not trying to get on the moral majority highway here, but obviously parental involvement (or lack thereof) has a lot to do with out of control bullying. I’m not impractical about this as I know how the world works, which is why I agree the rating needs to be changed, but let’s not all sit around and whine about the ratings system. If you want your kid to see it, you have the power to see that it is done. And that’s the point.
I’ll go even further and say that teens NEED to see this with parents. It’s not about the language. It’s about the emotional weight of the content. Mom and/or Dad should be there with the kids when they watch this stuff. They are still kids, and they still need guidance. I hate watching parents abdicate all responsibility for their kids just because they’re old enough to go out alone, now.
Everyone I know was bullied – everyone. Unless it becomes physical, which makes it much more serious, i think we need to teach our kids sticks & stones and to ignore bullies/haters. Kids need to learn life isnt fair & there are bullies at every age. Be it in school or your boss or at the gym. There are bullies everywhere. Its how we teach kids to react to these bullies that is important and to teach them never to be a bully.
I agree that it’s a rite of passage really to undergo public alienation and humiliation via the form of bullying.
But lets not kid ourselves and pretend that bullying is all the same.
There are kids being emotionally and psychologically terrorized on a daily basis.
Sticks and stones have NOTHING on the sick crap some sick kids will subject their peers too. My husband’s a cop and I’ve heard about some of his cases with bullying, it’s straight up emotional and psychological abuse.
I think there is a big difference between being teased and being bullied. My friends and I were all teased at one point in our lives, for a variety of reasons. And while teasing is difficult to take, it can be a character builder.
Bullying is a much harsher, scarier thing. No one that is close to me was bullied as a youth – threatened or injured, taunted, picked on mercilessly, etc. Now that I am a mother I am terrified of my child ever encountering this type of abuse by their peers.
We’re all so focused on ‘protecting’ children, we’re doing them a huge disservice and harming them. Let them be uncomfortable and have strong feelings watching bully! These are lessons many kids need to learn! It’s important for kids to see things like this, it’s not glorified, shameless violence. It’s a hard truth.
TL;DR,I think the MPAA is crap.
“is the MPAA full of crap?”
I didn’t even need to read the post. Of course it is.
And it’s ridiculous that it, or any certification/censorship board (we have them in Europe, before anyone starts pontificating about how much better we are) has so much power.
I think the Europe MPAA has a little more sense where they rate harsher on violence then sexuality. Where it is flip flopped here.
I don’t think there should be a rating agency at all.
I think that people can make their own decisions for themselves and their children.
I don’t think that violent or sexual films should be a concern of insanely powerful lobby groups.
And I’m kind of sick of the “oooh, but violence is worse than sex” argument:
(1) It’s not an either/or question. You can have both/neither as well, and you can also censor both/neither.
(2) Sexual films do not turn us into rutting animals. Violent films do not turn us into thugs. Honestly, who cares if a film is violent?
(3) This argument can only be won on the principles. The fact that censorship (which is exactly what this is) is entirely wrong is the point, not that some people think it’s aimed at the wrong things.
And this is coming from a social conservative.
@Lis : “I think that people can make their own decisions for themselves and their children.”
You would think right? However, I have read lots of stories from notalwaysright.com where parents have taken their kids or let their kids do questionable things. In fact, there is a post on The Lorax thread on imdb where one parents boasts that his 4 year old has a rifle. If a parent takes their kid to a movie and is offended by the language/violence/sex etc they can’t sue because the MPAA warned them. It’s one of the reasons why it’s in place.
As for the whole “Bully” issue. I do think it’s ridiculous. Kids knows these words. In fact, they are the ones using them in this film.
Yes they should change it to make it easier to be seen. But I would still get kids in there somehow, even if they don’t change the rating. I saw the preview for this before The Artist last night. I was already trying not to tear up. It needs to be seen by everyone.
these idiotic celebs need to quit crying over how that motion picture rating system works this film isn’t marketed to children so rating doesn’t matter.
If you want to learn more about the MPAA I suggest everyone watch the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated. It’s ridiculous who is screening our films and the so called rules that they go by. I have always been one to question the MPAA on ratings, a lot lately that have enraged me (with Bully included). I do agree with Roth on them being the better alternative. BUT when you watch the documentary you see the government does have some play on the depicition on anything that deals with the military. And among the panel are two people of the church. Who they say they don’t have a vote, but really they found out they do. They are there as the “moral vote”. As a Catholic, I can tell you I do not want a priest voting on morality. Which also makes their vote biaist. I’m not saying the MPAA is horrible. But we are in different times and society has a different out look on violence and sexuality (where I think a lot of us are desensitized on some things). I think the MPAA needs to be restructured.
kids seeing this movie is more important then them hearing a couple cuss words. They hear worse at school I’m sure. And they could also bleep the cuss words. This movie must be shown in schools.
Honestly, this inappropriate rating is great news because it means that even before seeing the film, more people are discussing it and discussing the topic, which desperately needs addressing.
I really can’t understand how this film rating cannot be repealed. From the look of the trailer, it I believe this film should be shown in every high school globally.
That’s part of the problem with the rating. Schools want to be able to show it, but if it’s got an R rating it’s illegal for them to show it.
The MPAA is totally full of crap. There’s an EXCELLENT documentary about it called “This film is not yet rated”. Everyone should see it. It really shows how ridiculous and arbitrary the MPAA is.
At the end of the day, a film’s rating shouldn’t have anything to do with deciding whether or not it’s kid-appropriate. That is a decision ONLY a parent can make. Not the schools, not the government, not a group of celebs. Yes, schools won’t be able to show it due to the language (couldn’t they make a made-for-tv like version….surely you don’t have to HEAR the word in order to know what was said….happens in music all the time), but since it’s the schools that FAIL to protect the kids, do we really think they’d fall all over themselves to show it?
it’s not just language, it’s violence and (real) death. it’s a DOCUMENTARY> some people can’t handle it. solution: take your kids to it. duh!
I am in tears right now! My 8yo has been slapped, pushed, stabbed w/a pencil & told he doesn’t matter all this year on the school bus. And the school keeps giving me the run around on helping keep my son safe! I had my son watch the trailor & I’ll take him to watch the movie. They need to show this movie in school, what a shame the people who need to watch this movie, won’t get the chance to.
I am born and raised in New York City, which is a very diverse city. In all my years of being at school I have never seen with my own eyes someone get bullied (in a traditional sense, physically)because of the acceptance of different people here.
Now I think that this is all the more reason that even diverse cities should watch it. Teens in my high school have never experienced this level of bullying and I think that younger people should be able to watch it to realize that cities like NYC are minorities when it comes to school bullying.
I think it should be PG-13 and shown all across the country.
The movie is rated PG in Canada!
Small suburban towns are the worst, in my experience, when it comes to bullying. Too many close-minded people,
almost zero diversity, forced religion, and a lot of ignorant, loud-mouthed parents who were bullies themselves. It’s a horrible vicious cycle. I was bullied by an awful girl who thankfully moved away early on in high school. Years later she reached out on Facebook and acted super exicted to find me and asked all about my life, etc etc. Despite many years passing, still looking at this girl’s face gave me chills and I never responded. I feel heartsick for kids who have to go through this everyday.
I was in high school when Shindler’s list was released in theatres, and I remember the whole school going on field trips to see it. That was an R rated movie too. I can see a lot of schools picking this film up as an important teaching tool and doing something similar.
Reading about all of the bullying these days makes me never want to have kids. I wasn’t bullied but I was really unpopular growing up. It’s so depressing thinking about what kids go through these days. I wish the parents of the bullies would do a better job raising their damn kids.
I assume the movie serves the purpose of exposing bullying for how pervasive-and devastating it is. If so, lower the rating so kids can see it.
Teasing is just a lesser form of bullying, and can drive vulnerable kids to the edge. That’s what “It Gets Better” is mostly about. Maybe this movie will wake up the teasers, if not the bullies.
I used to get slapped in the face by mean girls when I was the new kid in 7th grade-right in front of teachers (about 25 years ago). Fortunately, I started reading Gandhi (this was pre MLK Day) and when I didn’t hit back and started quoting Gandhi re: non-violence, the mean girls were so confused they stopped.
Take away-most bullies aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer.