‘Bully’ to be Released Using an Alternative Ratings System

Entertainment Weekly is reporting the The Weinstein Company will be using an alternative ratings system in the ads for its new documentary, ‘Bully‘. The movie will be displayed as having a...
‘Bully’ to be Released Using an Alternative Ratings System
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  • Entertainment Weekly is reporting the The Weinstein Company will be using an alternative ratings system in the ads for its new documentary, ‘Bully‘. The movie will be displayed as having a ‘pause 13’ rating that the movie received from Common Sense Media.

    That rating, according to the Common Sense Media website, means the film is appropriate for 13-year-olds, though some content may not be right for kids. A parent must know their own child in regards to whether the movie would be inappropriate, and to that end the controversial content of the movie is combed over in detail in the Common Sense Media review.

    Despite intense pressure the Motion Picture Association of America would not budge on its stance that the move should be rated ‘R’ for strong language. The movie highlights the plight of many children across the country who are bullied at school and online. According to the Common Sense Media Review, the harsh language in the movie is used by children to bully other children:

    “The most brutal language appears in a threatening scene on a school bus, in which an older student tells a younger one that he’ll ‘f—ing end you and shove a broomstick up your a– … I’ll cut your face off and s–t.’ Also several other uses of ‘f–k’ (and its derivatives), especially in the early part of the movie, as well as ‘s–t,’ ‘ass,’ ‘p—y,’ ‘bitch,’ and many derogatory terms for homosexuals (‘f-g,’ etc.).”

    It was reported earlier this week that the movie would be released without an MPAA rating, a move that would normally result in a movie not being screened at major theaters. The grassroots support for ‘Bully’ may change this, though, as the movie will be screened in major theatres. AMC Theatres has put a link to a permission slip on its website, stating:

    AMC Theatres believes people of all ages can benefit from the message of this film. That’s why we are allowing all guests to experience the version of this film that is not rated.

    Has the MPAA finally doomed itself by remaining inflexible? Let me know in the comments section below.

    (via ew.com)

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