Bully (2012)
85%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 1 nomination
Hard-hitting and gracefully filmed, Bully powerfully delivers an essential message to an audience that may not be able to see it
Bully is a documentary that will make you want to punch a wall and hug a kid at the same time. It’s a raw and unfiltered look at the devastating effects of bullying on young people and their families. While some critics argue that the film lacks insight into the bullies themselves, it’s hard to deny the emotional impact of watching these kids suffer. Director Lee Hirsch doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and that’s what makes this film so powerful. It’s a call to action for all of us to do better and be better, and to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. So grab some tissues and get ready to feel all the feels.
Production Company(ies)
Rossen Films,
Distributor
Weinstein Co.
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Lauderhill, Florida, USA
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
2001
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 39m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 2012 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2013
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
Bully, documentary, Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen, PG-13, bullying, youth, abuse, persecution, reform school, gun violence, tormented, beaten, teased, ostracized, lesbian, suicide, disturbing content, intense thematic material, all involving kids, some strong language, English, Weinstein Co., $3.5M, Ja’Meya Jackson, Kelby Johnson, Lona Johnson, Alex Libby, Jackie Libby, Philip Libby, reviewed by Sara Michelle Fetters, Lisa Kennedy, J.R Jones, Kimberley Jones, Connie Ogle, Tom Long, Richard Crouse, Richard Propes, Felicia Feaster, Julian Lytle, David Harris, Nicholas Bell, starring Ja’Meya Jackson, Kelby Johnson, Lona Johnson, Alex Libby, Jackie Libby, Philip Libby, directed by Lee Hirsch, written by Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen, produced by Cynthia Lowen, Lee Hirsch, documentary genre, box office performance, budget, critic reviews, producer names, MPAA rating
Worldwide gross: $704,808
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,187,805
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,556
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 129,532
US/Canada gross: $480,811
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $810,305
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,236
US/Canada opening weekend: $47,502
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $80,055
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,021
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Kelby Johnson – Self
Lona Johnson – Self
Alex Libby – Self
Jackie Libby – Self
Philip Libby – Self
Lee Hirsch – Director, Writer, Producer
Cynthia Lowen – Writer, Producer
Director(s)
Lee Hirsch
Writer(s)
Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Producer(s)
Cynthia Lowen, Lee Hirsch
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (142) | Top Critics (46) | Fresh (121) | Rotten (21)
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.
April 14, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
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.
April 13, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
TOP CRITIC
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.
April 13, 2012
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Your heart hurts for these kids, and the blood boils, too, at irrefutable evidence that these children are not safe in their schools.
April 13, 2012 | Rating: 4/5
Kimberley Jones
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
For a film that understandably only scratches the surface of its topic, Bully carries a devastating emotional punch.
April 13, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
Connie Ogle
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
It would have been nice if the film had reflected its title a bit more and looked at the bullies themselves – what drives one kid to torture another? Is it a reaction to home life, is it fear, is it innate awfulness?
April 13, 2012 | Rating: B
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
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.
January 31, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
If Bully doesn’t make you angry, then you’re not paying attention.
September 4, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
What the filmmakers have captured is extraordinary.
January 16, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Charleston City Paper
Lee Hirsch and his collaborators really made a very good and thought provoking documentary film. As cliché as that may sound it’s true, it’s a really well conceived rallying cry of a film.
January 11, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Julian Lytle
Punch Drunk Critics
Unfortunately, the film’s thesis is somewhat thin (bullying sucks!) and Hirsch doesn’t present us with any recourse to prevent it besides awareness.
November 8, 2019 | Rating: 2.7/5
David Harris
Spectrum Culture
Bully isn’t saying anything new, but it is asking us to look at the sickening reality of condoned bullying. But, as if from some Orwellian nightmare, those who need to see it most get no admittance.
July 9, 2019
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com…
Plot
After finding himself at the constant abuse of his best friend Bobby, Marty has become fed up with his friend’s twisted ways. His girlfriend, a victim of Bobby’s often cruel ways, couldn’t agree more and they strategize murdering Bobby with a group of willing and unwilling participants in a small Florida town. In the midst of their plotting, they contemplate the possible aftermath.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features real-life stories of youths who endure vicious persecution at the hands of their peers, including a girl who winds up in reform school after pulling a gun on her tormentors.
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