‘Bully’ Gets a PG-13 Revamp

Posted on Apr 6, 2012

imdb.com

After several rounds of negotiations, not to mention a couple of altercations, the power play between the Motion Picture Association of America and the creative forces behind Lee Hirsch’s recently released documentary, “Bully,” has produced a slightly new version of the film—one that meets the ratings board’s standards for PG-13 fare without compromising the movie’s message. Here’s more from the L.A. Times’ Thursday write-up on the Weinstein Co.’s cinematic cautionary tale.  —KA

“24 Frames” in the Los Angeles Times:

In a turn that allows both sides to claim victory, the Weinstein Co. announced Thursday it had reached an agreement with the Motion Picture Assn. of America to re-cut its unrated documentary “Bully” to land a PG-13 rating. The movie will now go out with that rating when it opens in about 115 new theaters next weekend.

The Times initially reported Friday that the distributor was planning a new version of the movie—which focuses on the issue of teen bullying through the lens of five families—so it could nab the lower rating.

The new cut of the Lee Hirsch film makes some concessions to the MPAA: It removes an obscenity that begins with the prefix “mother” in an early scene, along with two other quickly uttered F-words. Audio will be dropped out in all three instances.

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