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Bully (Unrated/ Theatrical Edition) Customer Reviews (10 - 12 of 54 Reviews)

Fraction of ***ked up Society We Live in
The concept is a sick one, but I am sure it represents some aspect of reality. I watch crime documentary sort of TV programs often, and the disturbed teenagers in the film have a lot in common with other crime prone kids I had seen on TV. I find this film somewhat educational in that it represents how those type of people think. It is a reality that some people are VERY disturbed, and this film reminds me of that. Those disturbed kids are everywhere not only in America.

It is not badly made movie, but it is not fun and therefore I cannot give a high review score.

Troubled Youth
I was very surprised at how much I didn't care for Bully. After director Larry Clark had wowed me with his film Kids, an unflinching look at 24 hours in the life of a group of teens walking in the shadow of AIDS, I had expected Bully to be a better realized effort. All it is though is an aimless drama with no follow through.

Based on Jim Schutze's book, Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge, the film follows Bobby (Nick Stahl) and association with Marty (Brad Renfro). Even as Bobby's dominant dad orders him to stay away from the "negative influence", daddy is unaware that it is Bobby who has bullied Marty since childhood. Worse yet, Bobby has raped Marty's new girlfriend Lisa (Rachel Miner), as well as her friend Ali (Bijou Phillips). As Marty, Lisa, Ali, and several of their chums hatch a plan to murder Bobby, meanwhile none of their parents suspect anything is really wrong.

While I have never read the book, as written by Zachary Long and Roger Pullis, the adapted script spends too much time showcasing how bad Bobby is, and not enough on character. Clark has no problem showing how these teenagers spend their time having sex, doing drugs and drinking alcohol but that only takes us so far. The plot gets very thin by the time the end approaches. The acting is OK but nothing special. I know the parents have to be in the dark for this to fly--but their a bit too clueless to be believed. No matter what version of the film you see (unrated or theatrical) you'll be perplexed.

Depending on which version of the DVD you watch determines the extras on it...The one I saw has about 30 minutes worth of interviews with Clark and selected cast members. It's a little ho-hum, that is until each actor explains how they got their roles. A photo gallery, the theatrical trailer, and plugs for Clark's Another Day in Paradise and Kids.

Bully needed less visually charged scenery and a better script.

Good movie, but some important details were left out.
I enjoyed the movie when i saw it, but I knew there was something missing to the story. Then, I happened to see the A & E true story about this. Turns out that Marty may have been being molested by Bobby. When Marty decided he didn't want to be gay with Bobby anymore Bobby started making threats and being forceful with him. So, not only was Bobby date raping women, but he may have also raped Marty as well. With this concoction added to the fire, it's a little easier to see why Marty and others may have snapped the way they did. What a sad, sad story.

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