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.