Rating: 
Summary: poignant
Review: This film is made for all of those people who are seriously contemplating violence as a form of retribution. Based on a true story in south Florida, this powerful film takes us into the world of suburban teens who seem to be mostly typical to their environment. In the earlier generation, it used to be sex, drugs and rock and roll. Now it's sex, drugs, violent video games and rap music.From the very beginning of the film, it's made very clear that Marty is the primary target for the bully's reprehensible behavior. The bully forces Marty to strip dance at a gay club, routinely beats up on him and insults him infront of others. The bully rapes Marty, abuses Marty's girlfriend and rapes another girl. Of all of the kids that are part of the plot, the bully is the one who seemingly has it all; a nice car, comes from a nice family with high expectations and has a future. His father plans to set him up as a manager of his own stereo store after he finishes college. Interestingly, the bully's father believes that his son is better than Marty and the other kids and hence advises his son to stay away from Marty and the others. The bully goes against his father's advice and hangs out with Marty anyway. It seems like the bully derives a sense of empowerment from being able to beat up on Marty and talk to the others any way he pleases. There comes a point where Marty's girlfriend can't stand to see the bully mess with him anymore. She suggests that they should kill him. A group of kids then band together and devise a plan to kill the bully and throw his body in the swamp for the alligators. Different people will get different things out of this film and surely few people will forget it. The most important thing I got out of this film was the fact that we are our own worst enemies. Solving one's problems with others can often (or always) be solved by taking a long hard look at oneself and making the necessary changes. That indeed is one of the hardest things to do which is why so few people change.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant or horrible
Review: Just saw this movie and can't stop thinking about it. Larry Clark might very well be the Fred Durst/Korn/Marilyn Manson/Eminem of the film world where he tries so incredibly hard to show the dark, shocking, disturbing, and depressing world of youth that it's almost as though he's not creating reality at all... but rather an offensive bland of what angry kids THINK their world is encapsulated by... just to profit off these very same children and parents who believe their world to be this way. OR Clark is a terrific and breathtaking alternative to the happy facade of teen films such as "She's All That" where all life's troubles can be solved by talking to Mom and Dad who love you so much and everyone has blonde hair whilst driving a Miata. Either way, I'm glad SOMEONE's at least TRYING to create a brutally honest version of teen angst no matter WHAT his motive. The second half was terrific, for sure, and the photography was beautiful. The music was perfect and the acting was surprisingly realistic and well developed.
Rating:
Summary: great movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: no offense to bobby kents parents but who cares if bobby kent is dead the less bullies the better
Rating:
Summary: Gotta Have The Stomach and Guts for it Baby
Review: You cannot, and let me repeat, CANNOT watch a film like Bully if you're a punk and that goes for the females. Being a film loving-diva myself I found Bully at times repulsive, definitely disgusting and vulgar...but you know what? That's exactly what it was supposed to be(...). I am speaking of the character in the film and not the real person. You have to be careful when you review this film and talk about the characters because these were real people and this murder really happened. I read the book and can understand why Larry Clark changed things and omitted facts. Who can do a tragedy like this justice in only a few hours? But, that's all the studio was willing to give Clark. He uses his two hours to tame the audience and bring them into a world a lot of parents are afraid to go to. Why, because many of their so-called perfect children are already living in that world and they can't stand to admit it. Clark is always criticized for putting teens in awkward positions ( no pun intended ) but the actors were all of age and he reflected the movie from his perception of Bobby Kent's real murder. This is a good film. A film anyone over twenty-one should see. A film that will open your eyes and even at times have you thinking murder is right. Finally, it's not until you see the culprits all polished up in their prisoner suits that you realize you shouldn't feel sorry for either one of them. Murder is murder and not even an abused sole such as the pathetic Marty Puccio ( I'm speaking of the film's character, not the person ) should be allowed to solve his own battles by bloodshed. Many people don't like these kinds of films. Why? Because it shows them that kids are bad in every place and time. It doesn't matter what neighborhoods you come from or how much money you have or what race you are, kids are going to be kids and sometimes kids are just plain murderers. (...). Clark threw in so much Bully starts to look like a 90210 epiosode crossed with a cheesy porn flick. (...) I'm guessing Bobby's abusive nature came from the super-obsessive hold his father had over him. What got me was how come Rachel Miner played Lisa when anyone who knows the story and book knows Lisa was a large young lady. So why didn't they get a full-figured actress? Come on, Hollywood the big ladies are sick of being ignored. Another thing were name changes of some of the minor characters for what reason...I don't know. This film educates to a point but be careful because it can brainwash you into thinking murder's the way to go. That's when you hose off and realize, these kids were high, bored and being abused. Still at the end of the movie what they did was wrong. It was very wrong. But if you're interested in true-life crimes brought to the big screen you will enjoy going along for the ride. And yes, this is one of those films you think about for hours after you've seen it. P.S. Get the book.
Rating:
Summary: STUNNING AND GUT CHURNING
Review: Wow! The graphic and true-to-life nature of BULLY may keep it from getting the recognition that it deserves, but it's scarily affective in its delivery. The performances in the movie are oscar-caliber. Hands down! That won't be acknowledged, but they are. No bones about it. There are some excellent actors here. Brad Renfro, Nick Stahl, Michael Pitt, Rachel Miner and Bijou Phillips all are fantastic and REAL. Not to mention, the capable direction of a balsy director like LARRY CLARK, who isn't afraid to do anything. And I mean anything! The movie touches on everything you can think of. The most prevalent being the real life murder.. Also, drugs, rape, porn, abuse, alienation. I don't know if LARRY CLARK is trying to shock people or not, In fact, I'm sure he is; but in the context of the movie, you believe that these kids are into all this stuff. Because it happens. It's real. In fact, that's the scariest part of it. I challenge everyone to watch the movie and see if they can't find someone in it that reminds them of someone they might know. The movie is disturbing. And it's supposed to be.
As the friends all discuss the plan. Back and forth. Back and forth. Arguing with each other. Showing their immaturity. It's gut churning. Knowing what they're planning. Thinking of what they want to do. What they're gonna do. Yet, never thinking of what might happen afterward. How many teenagers do we know like that?
Rating:
Summary: The Republic of Florida
Review: This film is still rating 5 stars because of the sheer fact that I couldn't turn if off when I first happened upon it late at night. It was one of those movies that made you think about the rest of the country and about the people next door. Bully is based on the Jim Schutze novel/true crime account of the 1993 murder of Bobby Kent, a teenage "bully" who pushed a group of kids into killing him. Sort of. Only some of the characters responsible for Bobby's death don't even know who is he. They are the hangers-on of the main players, a sad, white suburban teen couple. These two are played perfectly by Brad Renfro (who, in staying in character as a complete doofus, was arrested for various hijinks during production) and Rachel Miner. Yes, Rachel-ex-wife-of-Macauley Culkin-Miner who prances nude in half the film. They're bound by a pregnancy and a familiar sense of going nowehere, he a has-been surfer dude at 19 and she a never-will-be dreamer. Uh, anyway, a good portion of the film is spent on displaying Bobby's behavior, which is the resume for his murder. Nick Stahl is intense as Bobby, even though the real life Bobby Kent was a steroid-bulging, wanna be gang member son of Iranian immigrants, an ethnicity angle strangely omitted. Also omitted to a great extent is the gang angle of the real life case. It doesn't end up mattering because ultimately Stahl plays Bobby as a borderline psycho teen. To his parents he's a decent student, ambitious, a nice young man with a future ahead in college. But in reality he's a raging lunatic. I mean, honestly, as much as it's surprising to see young suburban kids suddenly committ a brutal member, how many friends have you ever had like Bobby Kent? Teenage boys can be cruel to each other, but how many of your friends regularly punch you in the face, perform 3 Stooges-like slaps to your head at any moment, oh, and rape your girlfriend. The saddest, and greatest part about this film is that the case was true. However, keep in mind a key element of the film: nearly all of the dialogue is taken right from the Jim Schutze novel WORD FOR WORD. Bully, the book, was something between a novel and true crime account that was very dialogue-oriented and wound up giving the film some of its best lines. Larry Clark didn't have to touch the lines up too much. But the staging is excellent. This is an almost pornographic account of the events yet it seems appropriate anyway since Clark is simply telling a TRUE story that was very gritty, very ugly. Let's face it. The characters in this film are dumb. Very, very dumb, so dumb that you really don't feel sorry for any of them. Maybe one or two, but you'd live with it. Seriously, if you have any friends that remind you of any of these characters even a little bit, run. Run now. Highly recommended for just not caring about Hollywood standards and going gonzo.
Rating:
Summary: Almost better than Kids
Review: In terms of acting and story, I think this one is better than Kids. There's no doubting that Larry Clark improved a bit after making Kids and Another Day In Paradise (which is his only film I've yet to see). And the actors in this film are all superb. And considering this one is 100% true, based on a true story even, I think it makes it more compelling. I also think Leo Fitzpatrick really got much better in terms of acting as time passed. However, this film doesn't leave nearly as big an impact as Kids does. However, I think that I like watching this film more than Kids. It's a very hard call, though. Both films are excellent, as is his newest film Ken Park, which isn't yet, nor do I think it will be any time soon, released in America. Larry Clark is a god among filmmakers.
Rating: 
Summary: A Worthless, Depressing Message from Hell
Review: Larry Clark's "Bully" might be considered a sequel of sorts to his 1995 release, "Kids." That film featured pathetic, foul-mouthed, adolescent kids whose entire lives revolved around sex, drugs and rap music. In "Bully," the characters are different and in their late teens. But they're just as (if not more) void of any sense of morality. They are soulless, empty and joyless--living day-to-day in a drugged-filled fog. If you subscribe to the idea that every generation is more spiritually and morally deficient that the one that preceded it, you'll understand the motivation of the characters in "Bully." The spiritual bankruptcy, materialistic decadence and oblivious permissiveness of these Baby Boomer parents has resulted in the creation of their children-turned-monsters. Unfortunately, that is all that "Bully" shows us. It seems like director Clark is a one-trick pony. He makes films about the absolute worst examples of American youth, attempting to suggest that these self-absorbed half-humans are far more prevalent than is true. Clark doesn't even try to tell his stories with even the slightest degree of tact or subtlety. (...) Clark uses the fact that "Bully" is based upon the true story of a South Florida murder merely as a vehicle to engage in cheaply titillating and raunchy soft-porn. Aside from the graphic sex romps, ask yourself if these scenes and sounds from "Bully" can be considered "entertainment": Marty physically assaulting his girlfriend Lisa after see tells him she's pregnant with his child... Eight-year old boys calling girls "bitches" and "ho's"... Close-up crotch shots... Heather telling the story of how her grandpa murdered her gramdma with a clawhammer and spent the next couple of days drinking and raping the dead body... Donny vomiting repeatedly after taking LSD... Expletive-ridden rap music heard on the soundtrack throughout... Bobby forcing Ali to watch a gay porn video while he violently rapes her... An extreme close-up of Bobby having his throat slashed... And those are only a few of the depressing images in this worthless waste of celluloid. Larry Clark offers us no solutions, no hope, no light--only darkness, depravity and evil. In short, he's not telling us anything we don't already know, so what was the point of even making this film? The truth be told, Clark had no point. In my opinion, he merely wanted to live vicariously through the characters in "Bully." We become whatever we embrace, and Larry Clark appears to repeatedly embrace the demonic. DO NOT BE FOOLED by the high ratings other reviewers have given this film. Clark is simply preaching to his choir, who are more than happy to feast on such garbage and praise it. I truly wish I could have given "Bully" ZERO stars. Don't waste two precious hours of your life on this utterly execrable excuse for a movie.
Rating:
Summary: A daunting wake-up call for parental responsibilities...
Review: Bully is a darkly profound story about irresponsible and thoughtless adolescents lacking adult supervision. The story revolves around Marty Puccio (Brad Renfro), who has been a friend of Bobby Kent (Nick Stahl) since childhood, but despite their friendship Bobby is constantly hitting and verbally abusing Marty. After a sexual encounter Marty and Lisa Connelly fall in love, but she also discovers the true nature of Bobby's bullying of Marty. This frustrates Lisa as she feels helpless and she discusses with Marty that he needs to do something about the situation, which leads the two of them into a plan of killing Bobby. Lisa asks for help from her troubled friends who after some persuasion agree to kill Bobby without any deeper consideration for the consequences or what they are getting themselves into. Clark leaves the audience with a bitter taste of the disturbed reality of some adolescents who live on the fringe where boundaries and guidance are nonexistent. However, it functions as a daunting wake-up call for those who have slumbered from their parental responsibilities or are unaware of what their adolescents might be up to. This story will give ground for parents to keep an interest in what their children and adolescents are doing on their free time as Clark provides a thorough illustration of what could go on within any parents home.
Rating:
Summary: This film is about the girl
Review: The girl in this movie, the one with the red hair, is really hot. That's what this movie is about. It's about how this really dumb girl, who I totally identify with because I've seriously met many girls like her and even dated some of them, discovers the powers of her own sexuality and uses them to empower her boyfriend and they end up...(no spoilers). Anyway, if you liked KIDS, you'll like this movie. If you like just about any piece of art whose setting is the dark, seedy cave of suburbian young minds such as, NIN, korn, nickelback, eric bogosian, or nirvana, you will like this movie. Oh yeah, and let me emphasize the beauty and downright angelic quality of the feminine protagonist. When you see her you will just, ohmygod, like, have fun and stuff.
| 
