FollowUp 2: Bully, the Movie

Some good news.  Bully has been re-rated to PG-13.  The complaints to the MPAA made a difference.

The documentary “Bully” has been officially retagged PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America. This shift from its initial R rating for language occurred after a drawn-out battle of wills among the studio, the trade association responsible for the voluntary ratings system, and vocal advocates of antibullying initiatives.

A compromise version, which cuts the number of "F-bombs," will be in theaters beginning April 13, when the film goes into national distribution.

The high power attorneys at the American Federation for Equal Rights were among those who helped forge a path to the change of ratings.

The Weinstein Company (TWC), aided by the guidance and consultation from attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson, announced today that the MPAA has lowered the R rating, given for some language, for BULLY to a PG-13 in time for the film's April 13th expansion to 55 markets. The scene that has been at the forefront of the battle with the MPAA, the intense scene in the film that shows teen Alex Libby being bullied and harassed on a bus, has been left fully intact and unedited. BULLY director Lee Hirsch felt editing the scene was not an option, and subsequently refused to do so, since it is too important to the truth and integrity behind the film. Also a victory is the exception the MPAA made by allowing the film to be released with the new rating before 90 days, which is the length of time their policy states a film must wait to be in theaters after a rating change to avoid confusion or inconvenience for moviegoers.

This decision by the MPAA is a huge victory for the parents, educators, lawmakers, and most importantly, children, everywhere who have been fighting for months for the appropriate PG-13 rating without cutting some of the most sensitive moments. Three uses of the 'F word' were removed from other scenes, which ultimately persuaded the MPAA to lower the rating. Hirsch made the documentary with the intent to give an uncensored, real-life portrayal of what 13 million children suffer through every year.

Thanks to Joe My God for the heads up.

23 March 2012:  Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.

30 March 2012, FollowUp 1.

FollowUp 1: Bully, the Movie

As reported today at One News Now, the blog of the hate group the American Family Association, since Bully did not have its MPAA rating reduced from R, they are releasing it without a rating so that teens will be allowed to see it.  Naturally, the Parents Television Council (PTC) is upset.

The movie, about the rising problem of bullying in America, received an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) due to profanity. And despite protests calling for a downgrade to PG-13, the MPAA has held its ground. So the makers of the film will release the movie as "unrated" and are asking theaters to back down on a longstanding policy.

"They're doing an end-run essentially around the MPAA by encouraging theaters to show unrated movies. And I think they're setting a dangerous precedent that in the future, anytime a studio gets a rating on a movie that they don't like, they can just go ahead and release an unrated version," warns PTC's Melissa Henson. "They [will] have precedent for theaters now showing unrated films."

Harvey Weinstein and his company say they are defying the ratings board so more children can see the movie that deals with the "epidemic of teen bullying." But if that were the case, Henson says Weinstein could have simply removed the profanity. But he refused, claiming the content is staying "because it's real."

Bully is not yet released to most theaters.  It will likely be important for students to see.



Thanks to Joe My God for the heads up.

23 March 2012:  Original Pedantic Political Ponderings post.

Praise: Bully, the Movie

On 30 March 2012, the movie Bully will be released in theaters.  Stupidly, it is rated 'R', so it won't be shown in most of the schools where it is most needed.  Ellen Degeneres interviewed the parents of Tyler Long, a bullied student who and Aspergers and who committed suicide in 2009.  The video, below, is about fifteen minutes and is a tear-jerker.  Then go see the movie when it is released.