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.
