Truth rating: 10
5:30 pm, March 13th, 2012
(Weinstein Co.)
More and more celebrities are voicing their support for Bully, a documentary that explores the crisis of school bullying but now faces an unexpectedly controversial release.
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) stunned producers by giving Bully an “R” rating for a handful of swear words, essentially ruling that the audience most likely to be impacted by the film (school kids) will be restricted from seeing it.
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A high school junior (and bullying victim) named Katy Butler has started an online petition to get the rating reduced to “PG-13,” and her efforts have already led to more than 300,000 signatures and the support of politicians and movie stars.
Johnny Depp and Ellen DeGeneres have been vocal supporters of the project, and Justin Bieber tweeted information about Bully to his millions of followers.
NFL star Drew Brees, Kelly Ripa and Anderson Cooper have voiced support for Bully, too.
Meryl Streep and her daughter Mamie Gummer will co-host a screening of the film in New York on March 20, and Tommy Hilfiger will design a T-shirt inspired by the film’s poster, with a portion of proceeds going to Bully’s charitable educational partner.
Bully is due to be released on March 30.
Check out the movie’s trailer below!
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