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BULLY (2012)Movie Reviews
Documentary about the effects of bullying on five students and their families over the course of a school year. Cast:Ja'Meya Jackson, Kelby Johnson, Londa Johnson, Bob JohnsonDirector:Lee HirschRelease Date:March 30, 2012DVD Release:February 12, 2013From:The Weinstein CompanyRating:RLength:1 hr 34 min
Bully (2012) played in key cities to very good reviews. • Bradley Jacobs called the film in Us Weekly, "...moving, timely... Powerful and poignant." • And Moira Macdonald wrote in the Seattle Times, "Teens, and their parents, may well find comfort in this hard-to-watch movie... and may leave believing that, if they join together, change is possible." More Reviews Below...
Richard Corliss, Time: OUTSTANDING "...a documentary as vivid as any horror film, as heartbreaking as any Oscar-worthy drama.... the children depicted in 'Bully' already live in a world rated R..."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,231 words, 03/30/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...essential to see... it's also frustrating to watch, because while the stories included are undeniably moving by nature, they're not exactly told in the most artful way..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 611 words, 03/29/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "...there shouldn't be a puritanical roadblock standing between 'Bully' and its audience. As long as the MPAA is issuing cavalier decrees, they're the ones acting like bullies."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 780 words, 03/29/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The best social documents on film do more than show you what's wrong in the world -- they make it personal. 'Bully' does that with a passion."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 03/30/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...an intimate glimpse into the dark heart of cruelty... hopes to inspire substantive discussion among parents, children and educators..."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 519 words, 03/30/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a sincere documentary but not a great one.... the film helplessly seems to treat bullying as a problem without a solution."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 776 words, 04/13/12
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: VERY GOOD(cg) "...better intentioned than it is made... it is hard to not respect anything that asks us to respect the stories of the dead, and asks us how we might help the living."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 489 words, 03/26/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...for those who have been lucky enough to have escaped the physical and verbal taunts of other children, 'Bully' is likely to leave a powerful impression."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,114 words, 03/28/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...a moving and troubling documentary... The members of the ratings board perform a useful function, but this is not the first time they've politicianed us."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,022 words, 03/30/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...is not comprehensive -- the more modern torments of cyber bullying are not much dealt with.... Still, the film's cumulative force is considerable..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 704 words, 03/30/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's a shame that the cynical, thoroughly bogus ratings controversy being used to market 'Bully' threatens to obscure its value... a very well-meaning documentary."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 03/30/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a good film instead of a great one, but Lee Hirsch's blood-boiling documentary will very likely end up doing more than its share of good in this world."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 792 words, 04/13/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an important and valuable film... But 'Bully' ignores the bulliers, a choice that plays to our sympathies but may undermine the movie's potential to effect change."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 373 words, 04/13/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: GOOD "...repetitive and not especially artful, but children who allow themselves to see the world through the eyes of the film's victims will never be the same."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 295 words, 03/26/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a sincere documentary but not a great one.... the film helplessly seems to treat bullying as a problem without a solution."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 776 words, 04/13/12
Ben Mercer, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "If 'Bully' is a bit vague on the call to action, it's also all but impossible to argue against as these wrenching case studies wrap up."(See all of Ben Mercer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 257 words, 03/28/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a valuable document for exposing the toll that bullying takes, and for sparking discussion of a problem that is far too often swept under the rug."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 783 words, 04/06/12
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...tackles this headline-heavy topic by mixing moments of raw emotional power with intervals of somewhat suspect manipulation."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 693 words, 04/06/12
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...intimate, straightforward, often wrenching... it's the ineptitude of the adults that stands out in starkest relief..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 516 words, 04/13/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...takes an intimate look at the effect the abuse has on the students, their families and their schools. Some cope successfully. Other stories have a tragic end."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 554 words, 09/16/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a movie struggling to shape itself... It has so many stories to tell and so many avenues to tread that the filmmaking jumbles and wanders and skips."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 831 words, 04/13/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "A movie can be important without being particularly well-made, and 'Bully' has many flaws (starting with its title, which really should be 'Bullied')."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 03/30/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Kirk Smalley, whose little boy shot himself because he was afraid to go to school, is an extraordinary man, and this is an extraordinary picture."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 752 words, 04/13/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Teens, and their parents, may well find comfort in this hard-to-watch movie... and may leave believing that, if they join together, change is possible."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 383 words, 04/13/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...peers into one of the most horrifying things you'll ever see -- the lives of bullied young teens -- and wrings and terrifies and outrages you impressively."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 212 words, 04/13/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...its loving voice is likely to be drowned out by haters who hide their own wounded hearts behind Internet pseudonyms and broadcast microphones."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 359 words, 04/13/12
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...no more incisive than a Dateline NBC segment on the subject, although with a PG-13 rating it now can be a classroom tool for discussion."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 429 words, 04/12/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it would have been nice if the film had reflected its title a bit more and looked at the bullies themselves... to find the cure we may need to better understand the disease."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 321 words, 04/13/12
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a devastating emotional punch.... filmmaker Lee Hirsch, who tries hard to end on a hopeful note, has insisted on a vital discussion."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 691 words, 04/13/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (8 Reviews)
Ben Mercer, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "If 'Bully' is a bit vague on the call to action, it's also all but impossible to argue against as these wrenching case studies wrap up."(See all of Ben Mercer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 257 words, 03/28/12
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...instead of young people finding empowerment through accomplishment, they suffer degradation through ill treatment, with little recourse in a culture that values cruelty."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 142 words, 04/13/12
Sam Adams, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...adeptly roils emotions, but it doesn't knit its disparate stories into a coherent whole. It makes sense as part of a larger project but is incomplete on its own."(See all of Sam Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,212 words, 03/28/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: WEAK(cg) "...it's heartfelt and rightly outraged over its dire subject matter -- and doesn't trust you to sort out what's at stake. Instead, it lectures by way of sentimental affect..."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,435 words, 03/30/12
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: GOOD(cg) "...hardly persuasive as a call to action, not because it isn't emotionally affecting (it is), but because it's so adamantly preaching to the converted."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 955 words, 03/29/12
Kalvin Henely, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...wastes no time getting to the heart of its subject matter and convincing us that something has to change.... doesn't take in a wide enough sample of the population..."(See all of Kalvin Henely's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 569 words, 03/27/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "What it says about our species is dismaying... several of the functionaries in the film seem baffled by what amounts to an epidemic, with no moral compass to guide them."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 03/30/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...a moving and troubling documentary... The members of the ratings board perform a useful function, but this is not the first time they've politicianed us."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,022 words, 03/30/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...is not comprehensive -- the more modern torments of cyber bullying are not much dealt with.... Still, the film's cumulative force is considerable..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 704 words, 03/30/12
Ronnie Scheib, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...serves as a call to action against abuse of students by their peers as it follows five sobering case histories of unrelenting schoolyard persecution."(See all of Ronnie Scheib's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 533 words, 04/25/11
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...a potent social-outreach tool that deserves to be seen as widely as possible.... someone should go beat some sense into the MPAA."(See all of David Rooney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 03/28/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...is not comprehensive -- the more modern torments of cyber bullying are not much dealt with.... Still, the film's cumulative force is considerable..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 704 words, 03/30/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: EXCELLENT(cg) "...timely, relevant.... touches a personal and collective nerve... an intimate, upsetting view of how bullying has defined and touched the lives of five kids and their families."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 741 words, 03/26/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: VERY GOOD "...a moving and troubling documentary... The members of the ratings board perform a useful function, but this is not the first time they've politicianed us."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,022 words, 03/30/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "What it says about our species is dismaying... several of the functionaries in the film seem baffled by what amounts to an epidemic, with no moral compass to guide them."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 03/30/12
11.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Bully (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 11.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Bully (2012) (47 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Bully (2012)'s reviews cover 96.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 28,167 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 599 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 11 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Bully (2012)'s reviews on average broke 11 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Bully (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Bully (2012) (47 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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