Bully

PG-13

Released Mar 30, 2012

1h 39m

Documentary

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Bully: Bob Balaban Message

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85%

Tomatometer

142 Reviews

78%

Audience Score

25,000+ Ratings

Filmmaker Lee Hirsch examines five cases of youths who endure vicious persecution at the hands of their peers. Ja'meye, 14, winds up in reform school after pulling a gun on the youths who tormented her for years. Cameras record the abuse suffered by 14-year-old Alex as he's beaten and teased on the bus. Star athlete Kelby, 16, is ostracized and worse after she comes out as lesbian. Most tragic of all, two boys, one 17 and one 12, commit suicide to escape the torture.

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Critics Consensus

Hard-hitting and gracefully filmed, Bully powerfully delivers an essential message to an audience that may not be able to see it.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

It doesn't pull punches or try to paint a more palatable picture, director Lee Hirsch delivering his saga of kid-on-kid brutality with a didactic verisimilitude that's decidedly chilling.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 14, 2012

Full Review

Lisa Kennedy

Denver Post

Bully" is smart and compassionate about the pain of its wounded subjects and the frustration felt by their parents, seemingly abandoned by the system. What the powerful film lacks is insight into bullying.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 13, 2012

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Hirsch seldom gets face time with any bullies or their parents, and he tends to ignore the complicated social and psychological patterns that feed the problem.

Apr 13, 2012

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

This isn't a Michael Moore style doc, with a glib host walking you through the issue at hand. Instead this is a fly-on-the-wall doc, cooly observing and reporting on its subject.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 31, 2021

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

If Bully doesn't make you angry, then you're not paying attention.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 4, 2020

Full Review

Felicia Feaster

Charleston City Paper

What the filmmakers have captured is extraordinary.

Jan 16, 2020

Full Review

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Audience Member

Bully is fully raw and left me broken. It is an extremely difficult watch and is an equally important one. It shows the actions, direct results, and the often flubbed responses to bullying in US schools and communities. The woman at Alex's school was so beyond awful at handling his case - it was heartbreaking. Whether you are a kid, have kids, or neither, Bully's message of community change through awareness is spot on especially in this case. The more we can make bullying a culturally damned practice, the less we'll hear the excuses like "kids will be kids," "my hands are tied," etc. and the more we'll have more people in positions of power who are willing to stand up and fight against it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie hit all my heart strings. I was bullied so badly in school and am sitting here in tears because I felt all of their pain and frustrations. The young girl who brought a gun did exactly what she should've. I wish I did it. Kids are cruel. This movie is an absolute must watch for all kids.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Original, dramatic, & really for ages 13+ only; censoring, however (the swear words)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

georgan g

Here was proof that teachers, administrators & parents need structured education in dealing with bullies.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A gripping story about bullying in our world. I really liked this movie, but it was a bit depressing seeing all of the horrid stuff kids do to each other. The movie also deals with suicide, so watch with caution.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

yash b

If you have children in middle or high school or even have relatives in this age group, I urge you to make them watch the powerful documentary "Bully." This movie is extremely tough to watch but carries an essential message and genuinely seems to want to inspire real social change. One thing the movie could have explored more is the psychology of why some kids decide to bully others, but it tends to mostly hint at the cyclical nature of bullying. Besides that, I think the movie does a great job showing the consequences of continued bullying and they are often devastating. Overall, this is a gripping documentary with urgent and relevant subject matter.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Lee Hirsch

Director

Ja'Meya Jackson

Self

Kelby Johnson

Self

Lona Johnson

Self

Alex Libby

Self

Jackie Libby

Self

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Bully: Bob Balaban Message

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Lee Hirsch examines five cases of youths who endure vicious persecution at the hands of their peers. Ja'meye, 14, winds up in reform school after pulling a gun on the youths who tormented her for years. Cameras record the abuse suffered by 14-year-old Alex as he's beaten and teased on the bus. Star athlete Kelby, 16, is ostracized and worse after she comes out as lesbian. Most tragic of all, two boys, one 17 and one 12, commit suicide to escape the torture.

Director: Lee Hirsch
Producer: Cynthia Lowen, Lee Hirsch
Screenwriter: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: The Bully Project
Rating: PG-13 (Disturbing Content|All Involving Kids|Intense Thematic Material|Some Strong Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.5M
Runtime: 1h 39m

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