BullyMovie Reviews

Avg. Critic Score: 74 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

Iffy for 13+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

88

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
The best social documents on film do more than show you what's wrong in the world – they make it personal. Bully does that with a passion. Read full review
88

ReelViews | James Berardinelli
The purpose of Bully is to educate and promote discussion. If the problem is not solved, there will be more Columbines and additional stories like Tyler and Ty's. Read full review
88

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Bully forces audiences to face actions that are unthinkable, inexcusable and excruciatingly sad. It offers no solutions, only the testimony of brave youths. Read full review
85

NPR | Bob Mondello
All I can add to the discussion is the fervent hope that any parents, teachers, administrators or students who see it will immediately start clamoring for it to be shown at their next PTA meeting. Read full review
83

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
As long as the MPAA is issuing its cavalier decrees, though, they're the ones acting like bullies. Read full review
80

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
The film's power is undercut by its narrow geographic focus, which seems to associate bullying with conservative or working-class areas in red states. The filmmakers could easily have found similar cases involving the children of urban sophisticates. Read full review
80

The Hollywood Reporter |
An intimate reflection on the bullying epidemic that makes its points quietly and succinctly. Read full review
65

Movieline | Stephanie Zacharek
Bully is much better when it sticks to simple storytelling. And storytelling, not grandstanding, is the thing that just might grab the attention of, say, school administrators, people who can have some effect on how bullies are dealt with. Read full review
63

Boston Globe | Wesley Morris
Bully contains some moments of real alarm and, in the school bus, one nightmarish motif. Read full review
60

New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman
Incredibly enough, it seems many people still believe that bullying is just a matter of "kids being kids." Until that attitude changes, this film should be considered required viewing for every parent, teacher and teenager in America. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Bully on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Powerful docu addresses critically important issue for kids.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Bully is a no-holds-barred documentary that intimately portrays bullying victims' daily lives. While it's often heartbreaking and deals with tough issues like suicide, the movie addresses an incredibly important, timely topic -- bullying -- in a frank, relatable way that's age appropriate for teens and relevant for middle schoolers if an adult is present to guide discussion. Bully's strong language (including a brutal, profanity-laden scene in which one boy says to another that he'll "shove a broomstick up your a--" and "cut your face off and s--t") earned it an R rating from the MPAA (a rating that the production company chose not to accept, officially releasing the film as unrated), but none of the swearing is gratuitous. Like it or not, it's a realistic portrayal of what every middle schooler and older hears every day. This gives the film veracity and credibility with kids, and it will justifiably shock parents. Bully's most challenging material isn't just the language, but the suicides. Seeing grieving parents and friends could potentially be upsetting to teens and preteens, so they should definitely watch with adults. Bully also addresses the concepts of cutting, physical abuse, and more, but in a way that presents the consequences as well as the behavior itself. Victims' parents are generally portrayed as supportive and loving, while school administrators come off in a much less positive light. Ultimately, Bully encourages kids to stand up to bullies, not stand by, and reinforces the fact that everyone can make a difference when it comes to this essential issue.

Families can talk about an individual's responsibility to stand up, not stand by. Is that easy to do? How do you think people can really make a difference against bullies?
Parents, talk to your kids about teen suicide. This is an incredibly tough topic, but one that needs to be addressed. What makes some people think that it's their only option? What impact does their decision have on their friends and family? Where can kids in despair turn for assistance?
Bullying is often seen as physical abuse, but Bully shows that words are just as powerful. Talk about the different ways that people can bully others; what has the most lasting impact?
Bully doesn't spend too much time discussing the online/digital side of the issue. Teens: How does cyberbullying impact you and your peers?
School administrators come off very poorly in Bully, and there's lots of blaming the victim. Do you think administrators leave victims feeling completely discounted? Who else can bullying victims turn to for help?

The good stuff

Positive messages: Bully's powerful, important message is that everyone can -- and should -- make a difference when it comes to the issue of bullying. Kids are encouraged to "stand up, not stand by" when they see bullying taking place and are told that "everything starts with one." The movie addresses teen suicide, mourning, and conflict in ways that are likely to upset both teens and parents, but everything serves to reinforce the message that bullying needs to be stopped.
Positive role models: Bullying victims are portrayed sympathetically, including one who brandished a gun at the kids who were mistreating her and consequently faced criminal charges. Some of the kids exhibit great strength in the face of adversity -- especially Kelby, a gay teen who wants to stand up and make a change for herself and others. Parents are generally supportive and determined to help their kids and/or others in similar situations. School administrators, on the other hand, come across as unhelpful, inflexible, and oblivious, and the lives/motivations of the bullies themselves aren't investigated or addressed.

What to watch for

Violence: The movie makes clear that the most severe bullying violence isn't always physical, but also verbal and emotional. Teen/tween suicide is one of the movie's central topics, with friends and family members emotionally mourning the loss of their loved ones. Many kids recount repeated incidents of physical abuse (being choked, sat on, stabbed with pencils, etc.) and threats (one brutal scene captured by filmmakers includes a boy saying, graphically, that he'll shove a broomstick up another boy's rear and cut him with a knife). Another teen discusses previous suicide attempts and a past history of cutting. Hitting/punching/scuffling, both between friends and between bullies and their victims. Security camera footage shows a girl brandishing a gun at other kids when she feels she's been pushed too far. Other images of guns, some within a hunting context.
Sexy stuff: Not an issue
Language: The most brutal language appears in a threatening scene on a school bus, in which an older student tells a younger one that he'll "f---ing end you and shove a broomstick up your a-- ... I'll cut your face off and s--t." Also several other uses of "f--k" (and its derivatives), especially in the early part of the movie, as well as "s--t," "ass," "p---y," "bitch," and many derogatory terms for homosexuals ("f-g," etc.).
Consumerism: Various labels/brands are seen, but since this is a documentary, none are product placement.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue

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