The film,
Bully, set to be released at the end of the month, follows five families coping with effects of extreme bullying during the 2009/2010 school year, including the parents of two kids (one was just eleven) who took their own lives after years of torment.
Despite the tough subject, it sounds like something students, parents and schools might be interested in -- something that might even be valuable to watch in classrooms or churches or Girls Scout meetings or whatever community you happen to be a part of. Right now, however, those groups, and well as anyone younger than 17, are going to have a hard time seeing the movie, because it's been given an "R" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The rating was given because of concerns over "language," meaning there are inappropriate four-letter words used in the film, which considering the topic and the fact that it's a documentary, is unsurprising. Most people who have dealt with a bully could probably tell you the same. That said, the MPAA has guidelines for a reason. Some topics and situations depicted in film aren't appropriate for everyone to see, and the rating systems were implemented so consumers wouldn't be surprised.
At least one teen, Katy Butler, who goes to high school in Michigan and had herself dealt with bullying, is fighting the rating. She's gotten 165,000 people to sign
an online petition in support of the film and asking the MPAA to change the rating to PG-13. Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson has also spoken up in support of the film, saying, "
Bully is a movie that depicts the nightmare that some kids face every day in schools across America. Children are afraid to go to school and therefore their educational productivity decreases. It creates violent reactions in our children and they must be allowed to see the movie as it was intended to help raise awareness, increase empathy and change minds.”
What do you think? Is the movie something you think you'd like to see? Should the MPAA change the rating? Tell us in the comments.
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