In an attempt to get around the MPAA’s nearsighted “R” rating for Lee Hirsch and Alicia Dwyer’s award-winning documentary, Bully, The Weinstein Company has announced that they will release the film as Unrated. Bully, which investigates the prevalence of bullying in our nation’s schools, was hit with an “R” rating after an appeal by TWC came up one vote shy, regardless of a petition signed by nearly 500,000 individuals who felt that the rating would limit kids’ ability to see the film.
The reason for the rating? A few instances of foul language, something that occurs in hallways and school buses on a daily basis. By restricting the film to kids who would need a parent or guardian present to attend, the MPAA has become the bully themselves. Unfortunately, many theaters won’t show unrated films, which now precludes both the children and their parents from being able to see the film at all. At least Gerry Lopez, CEO of AMC theaters, has taken a stand in support of the film, saying that his theaters will show it regardless of the unrated status. Hit the jump to see what he and the filmmakers had to say. Bully opens March 30th.
The following is the full press release from Change.org and The Weinstein Company:
“BULLY” TO HIT MOVIE SCREENS AS “UNRATED” AFTER NEARLY 500,000 SIGN BULLIED STUDENT’S ONLINE PETITION URGING THE MPAA TO DROP “R” RATING
High school junior Katy Butler, who started the campaign on Change.org after MPAA initially gave “Bully” an R-rating, says she’s pleased with ‘unrated’ designation
Butler’s campaign received support from Ellen DeGeneres, Meryl Streep, Michael Jordan, Drew Brees, Demi Lovato, Randy Jackson and 35 Members of Congress
WASHINGTON, DC – The Weinstein Company has announced that “Bully,” the award-winning documentary about the epidemic of school bullying in the United States, will open in theaters on March 30 as “unrated” after nearly 500,000 people signed an extraordinarily popular online petition at Change.org demanding that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) remove the “R” rating initially given to the movie by the MPAA’s ratings board.
“I am happy ‘Bully’ will maintain its authenticity and will
be an accurate portrayal of what thousands of kids experience every day,” said Katy Butler, a bullied high school student from Michigan who was outraged that the MPAA gave “Bully” an “R” rating by just one vote because of brief language. Butler, who had her finger broken by bullies in middle school, urged the MPAA to remove the “R” rating from “Bully” so that middle school and high school students would have a chance to see a movie that could potentially save their lives.
“The MPAA might not recognize the reality that thousands of bullied kids face each day in school, but nearly 500,000 people around the country, from celebrities to politicians to bullied kids themselves, stepped up to speak out about bullying by signing my petition,” said Butler. “The brief use of explicit language in this film reflects what so many kids hear each day in school when they’re being bullied. The MPAA said they wouldn’t drop the ‘R’ rating unless this language was removed, but nothing can remove it from the halls and playgrounds of schools where bullied students hear it each day, except education and exposure.”
Lee Hirsch, director of “Bully,” said that the “unrated” designation for the film will allow the film to portray the real trauma and torment that bullied students experience each day in school.
“The small amount of language in the film that’s responsible for the ‘R’ rating is there because it’s real. It’s what the children who are victims of bullying face on most days,” Hirsch said in a statement put out by The Weinstein Company announcing the “unrated” designation. “All of our supporters see that, and we’re grateful for the support we’ve received across the board. I know the kids will come, so it’s up to the theaters to let them in.”
Gerry Lopez, the CEO of AMC Theaters, one of the largest movie theater chains in the world, signed Katy Butler’s Change.org petition. He said previously in a statement that he will make sure “Bully” plays at AMC Theaters even with an “unrated” rating.
“AMC will show this movie, and we invite our guests to engage in the dialogue its relevant message will inevitably provoke,” Lopez said.
Lopez is just one of several high profile individuals who signed Butler’s campaign on Change.org. Ellen DeGeneres signed the petition, inviting Butler to appear on her show and urging her viewers to support the petition, and Anderson Cooper, Kelly Ripa, Justin Bieber, Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Michael Jordan, Demi Lovato, Randy Jackson, and Drew Brees all encouraged their fans to show support to “Bully,” objecting to the “R” rating it received.
Live signature totals from Katy Butler’s campaign (and comments from signers):
http://www.change.org/bullyWashington Post profile of Katy Butler:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/katy-butler-a-new-voice-against-bullying/2012/03/16/gIQAXUPbHS_story.htmlKaty Butler’s appearance on CBS This Morning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBpKygeQxRw&list=UUy8352SHLMMjC_jLYuYYw7A&index=1&feature=plcpKaty Butler’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show:
http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2012/03/ellen_discusses_bully_0307.phpKaty Butler’s appearance on FOX & Friends:
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-friends/index.html#/v/1491016262001/teen-stands-up-to-bullies-petitions-mpaa/?playlist_id=86912
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This is awesome! Way to go Gerry Lopez
The brutal teen violence in Hunger Games gets a pass with a PG-13, a few swear words in Bully give it an R. F-ck the MPAA.
Just bleep the damn F words and release it already. Everybody just mentally puts them back in anyway.
Way to completely miss the point. The MPAA is an antiquated and unnecessary organization that should be disbanded. Just another mysterious group of elite jerkoffs telling others what they can and can’t do. And apathy like yours is exactly what they hope for from us so they can continue with their ridiculous power trip.
Besides, bleeping would ruin the humour. Everyone knows kids cursing is comedy gold.
What? Too soon?
I was just trying to be affable…
Wouldn’t kids seeing it with their parents be a GOOD thing?
Also, I agree with Dogg. Nobody is going to say “Oh, he just said BLEEP.” How is saying “BLEEP” bullying? (Read BLEEP literally, not as censoring.)
Who does the MPAA think they’re “protecting” by giving Bully the ‘R’ rating?
@Sci-fi, Agreed. Well put.
Well, what did they expect? You can’t submit a film to the MPAA with a bunch of f-bombs and not expect an R rating. That’s like taking a test you know you’re going to fail and expecting the teacher to give it a passing grade because you’re a nice person. I don’t understand this outrage that the MPAA engenders. They offer a strictly voluntary service using established guidelines of which everyone is aware. If they had given Bully a PG-13, they’d get complaints from angry parents over the bad language. It’s not their fault that parents have weird hang-ups over what their children should be exposed to. That’s WHY THEY EXIST.
Robert,
You’re totally right. I don’t understand why people continue to fight the MPAA. Even if you disagree with every rule they follow pertaining to their rating system, you still KNOW the rules. They’re not going to change. I have no idea how a company like The Weinstein Company, who are constantly battling the MPAA, could be anything but hyper-aware of the rules behind their rating system. I think they are battling the MPAA to increase publicity for the film. I doubt Bully was going to make too much money before this controversy, but now five times as many people know about it than did before. Maybe it’s smart on their part (assuming that’s what they’re doing) but in my eyes, it makes them hypocritical, because they are battling the thing that gives them an outlet to generate publicity for Bully. Without it, Bully would be another minor documentary release. Almost a public service announcement. And if this is NOT what they’re doing, then they are idiotic because they know that a couple “f words” in the wrong context will get them an R rating. Are those couple of f-bombs the foundation on which the movie has built its artistic integrity, so much so, that getting rid of them would damage the movie in its entirety? There is almost no way. They know the rules of the MPAA, and it’s fine to be in disagreement (I often am, myself). But the approach they have taken here, similar to the one they took with The King’s Speech, is a waste of time and honestly just an attempt at attention-grabbing. They know how it works, how could they expect any different? Just wanted to let another logical-thinking person know that someone else was also in agreement on this.
People talk about the MPAA rules are if they are set in stone. They are not. There is a large subjectivity to movie ratings and therein lies the problem. This situation is a glaring example of why many rating make no sense whatsoever.
Not to mention the arbitrariness of the rating system. There is no consideration for the context, and as we’ve seen over and over, excessively violent films can fly under the PG-13 radar, but throw in an extra F-bomb and it’s R. Even the F-bomb is subjective; it depends what the intention is, whether explitive, sexual reference, etc. as well as the number of F-bombs used. It’s completely ridiculous.
What kind of teenager is going to go out of their way to see this movie anyway?
The sheer volume of free publicity they are receiving from the “MPAA rating fight” far outweighs any lost ticket sales due to the an R rating to begin with. From this one lemon they are making about 1000 gallons of lemonade. This is all about the mighty dollar when all is said and done, and the movie may, in addition to making a studio some money, change a mind or two.
If a kid is going to go see it, it will more than likely be with parents anyways. This isn’t Hunger Games; it’s a documentary, and when is the last time teens flocked to a documentary that wasn’t a school based fieldtrip? Just because a movie has a PG13 rating doesn’t mean that it will draw in flocks of teens where an R movie won’t. If anything an R rating will up the intrigue factor in the eyes of a teen, and they’ll find a way in regardless.
This “MPAA Rating fight” is doing more good than bad. The free publicity this has gained them is the best thing that could have happened to this movie, a documentary none the less. No agency could have come up with a better marketing scheme than this for almost no money. Weinstein and co. have taken 1 lemon and made about 1000 gallons of lemonade, that they will gladly sell to you for a bargain $9 a glass. Enjoy!
There are many BULLIES in the world, out court system actually supports bullies to do their dirty work. To lie, cheat, steal and even take advantage of seniors and children. I know this first hand as my sister Sylvia Schmidt of San Marino CA is a bully, an insecure, greedy and cruel person who perjured a petition to BULLY our mother Gertrude Gettinger into a conservatorship where she could be abused, drugged and isolated. Our story is here http://www.facebook.com/robertagettinger?sk=info about a family that was destroyed by a BULLY who hated everyone in her family, who would do anything for money. About a court system Los Angeles Superior Court where a judge Candace Beason would ignore the cries of the victim and ignore evidence of burglary, theft, tampering with medical evidence, perjury and elder abuse. In face Judge Candace Beason ignored 6 hand written, signed and dated letters from the victim. BULLIES exist and continue to destroy lives and families.