Bully

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Bully

PG-13

2012

1h 39m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

138 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Filmmaker Lee Hirsch examines five cases of youths who endure vicious persecution at the hands of their peers. Ja'meye, 14, winds up in reform school after pulling a gun on the youths who tormented her for years. Cameras record the abuse suffered by 14-year-old Alex as he's beaten and teased on the bus. Star athlete Kelby, 16, is ostracized and worse after she comes out as lesbian. Most tragic of all, two boys, one 17 and one 12, commit suicide to escape the torture.

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Critics Consensus

Hard-hitting and gracefully filmed, Bully powerfully delivers an essential message to an audience that may not be able to see it.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Apr 14, 2012

3.5/4

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.

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Lisa Kennedy

Denver Post

Apr 13, 2012

3.5/4

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.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Apr 13, 2012

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.

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Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Jan 31, 2021

4.5/5

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.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 4, 2020

3.5/4.0

If Bully doesn't make you angry, then you're not paying attention.

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Felicia Feaster

Charleston City Paper

Jan 16, 2020

What the filmmakers have captured is extraordinary.

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Gabriel M

@Anonymous12 Jul 3, 2025

A poorly made film that resembles a YouTube video with paid actors that should’ve stayed rated R due to abusive use of profanity and discussions of suicide.

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Trafalgar L

@TDWaterLaw93 Nov 22, 2024

Raw, emotionally charged and hard hitting. "Bully" is a documentary film that examines bullying and the effects it has on today's youth. I think it was a daring endeavor for them to make this film. Because, it hit the nail on the head and it should have a mandatory screening for children as they enter adolescence because bullying in middle and high school is more serious and it often leads to suicide ideation. Bravo to everyone involved in the making of this documentary.

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Munkhjargal A

@RT28084692 Aug 1, 2024

This movie turned out to be a very good movie. It has become a work that has been greatly enjoyed by the audience. I think that the work was born because of the director's poor thinking. It turned out to be a movie that I liked very much. I would like to thank the director and actors.

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Bahad j

@RT27093708 Jul 31, 2024

I felt like the characters in this movie could feel the happiness and difficulties that they faced in real life.

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Бавуу Э

@RT26109709 Jul 31, 2024

Filmmaker Lee Hirsch examines five cases of youths who endure vicious persecution at the hands of their peers. Ja'meye, 14, winds up in reform school after pulling a gun on the youths who tormented her for years. Cameras record the abuse suffered by 14-year-old Alex as he's beaten and teased on the bus. Star athlete Kelby, 16, is ostracized and worse after she comes out as lesbian. Most tragic of all, two boys, one 17 and one 12, commit suicide to escape the torture.

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Geke g

@RT40239519 Jul 27, 2024

Such a good movie. Perfect.

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Lee Hirsch

Director

Ja'Meya Jackson

Self

Kelby Johnson

Self

Lona Johnson

Self

Alex Libby

Self

Jackie Libby

Self

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Lee Hirsch examines five cases of youths who endure vicious persecution at the hands of their peers. Ja'meye, 14, winds up in reform school after pulling a gun on the youths who tormented her for years. Cameras record the abuse suffered by 14-year-old Alex as he's beaten and teased on the bus. Star athlete Kelby, 16, is ostracized and worse after she comes out as lesbian. Most tragic of all, two boys, one 17 and one 12, commit suicide to escape the torture.

Director: Lee Hirsch
Producer: Cynthia Lowen, Lee Hirsch
Screenwriter: Lee Hirsch, Cynthia Lowen
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: The Bully Project, Where We Live Films
Rating: PG-13 (Disturbing Content|All Involving Kids|Intense Thematic Material|Some Strong Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.5M
Runtime: 1h 39m

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