Bully

R

Released Jul 13, 2001

1h 47m

Drama

List

54%

89 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

As Bobby Kent lay bleeding on July 14, 1993, he called out for help, and then mercy from his friends. Their response was quick and deliberate. Larry Clark's "Bully" chronicles the incident that would leave a community stunned, parents nonplussed and heartbroken and a group of defendants convicted of a brutal crime for which they never repented.

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Critics Consensus

With its lingering shots of naked teenage bodies, Bully feels more sordidly exploitative than realistic.

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Tanner Tafelski

Village Voice

What Clark does suggest in this confrontational work is a cultural condition in American suburbia by which relations between parents and children are strained or even nonexistent.

Oct 30, 2019

Full Review

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 4/5

Apr 14, 2012

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Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

Rated: 3/4

Apr 6, 2012

Full Review

Eric D. Snider

EricDSnider.com

Rated: B

Apr 14, 2012

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

...an exploitation teen movie in the pejorative sense of the word.

Rated: C-

Jul 19, 2009

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Much too concerned with flashing nude scenes of its barely legal cast to make a point or unfold a story.

Apr 29, 2009

Full Review

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Ruud T

Worth to watch. See what can happen if you do stupid things without thinking about it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

Full Review

mark g

Disturbing for sure, but also one hell of a movie. To be upset about young people that are scantily clad, makes little sense, WHEN THE REAL STORY IS ABOUT SEXUALLY ACTIVE YOUNG PEOPLE! This film has stayed with me. Visually stunning and great performances by a talented young cast. And what a final scene, with Fatboy Slim going strong.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/24

Full Review

KCR_ J

This movie captures the late 90's early 2000's like nothing else. Then you are slapped in the face with a crazy true story that will send chills down your back! Brad Renfro is top notch. Actually all the actors are great. Even the ones who are supposed to get on your nerves actually get on your nerves. (Racheal Miner) certified Fresh!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/02/23

Full Review

Wayne K

A film as controversial as it is divisive, Bully is Larry Clark's third film, and while it gets talked about less than Kids or Ken Park, it's still managed to ruffle its share of feathers. The long, lingering shots of naked teenagers, something Clark seems weirdly fixated on, are uncomfortable at best and exploitative at worst. It feels like he's trying to make a point about how we shouldn't be ashamed of our bodies, how they're a part of our being and how they're often used as a form of currency for people willing or desperate enough to sell them, but the sheer number of them, as well as the lasciviousness of the angles, just comes off as creepy. But the plot itself is well done and emotionally impactful. The desire to kill someone who's made your life a misery is a concept that all are familiar with, and the films gives it a proper build and solid motivation for the killing before it happens. The bad decisions made by the central characters make sense because it feels like they're motivated by desperation and inexperience rather than stupidity. That is until the killing has taken place, and the characters start acting like they actively want to be arrested. The film has a noticeably loose structure, appropriately feeling like an aimless drifter floating from one party to the next. It's full of authentically angsty performances, and the graphic, profanity-laden dialogue adds to that feel. Some of the conversations could do with being clipped, especially the ones in the 3rd act, where it feels like the film is just spinning its wheels. If you didn't enjoy Kids, you almost certainly won't like this either. But if you fancy putting your feet up on the couch and watching something a little more serious, then Bully would make a solid choice.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/20/23

Full Review

Scott M

Story about a group of teenagers who murder one of their friends. The friend they murder is a evil jerk so I didn't feel bad about it. Larry Clark directs a really good cast. One of my favorite movies.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

Full Review

Alex M

Raw, wicked and zesty. Teens being teens in the venture of their new world.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/16/23

Full Review

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Larry Clark

Director

Brad Renfro

Marty Puccio

Rachel Miner

Lisa Connelly

Nick Stahl

Bobby Kent

Bijou Phillips

Ali Willis

Michael Pitt

Donny Semenec

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Synopsis

As Bobby Kent lay bleeding on July 14, 1993, he called out for help, and then mercy from his friends. Their response was quick and deliberate. Larry Clark's "Bully" chronicles the incident that would leave a community stunned, parents nonplussed and heartbroken and a group of defendants convicted of a brutal crime for which they never repented.

Director: Larry Clark
Producer: Jordan Gertner, Mark Mower, Manuel Chiche, Arnaud Duteil, Vincent Maraval
Screenwriter: Roger Pullis, Zachary Long, Jim Schutze
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Lions Gate Films
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Sexual Content|Strong Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $510.1K
Runtime: 1h 47m

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