Bully (2001) User Reviews (363)

So stark in it's from-a-true-story fashion it borders on personal ground

[Quinoa1984 · 8/10 · 26 November 2002]

There's something about the kids in Larry Clark's films, such as this, Bully, and his 1995 classic Kids (which took place in New York and had the feel of an un-interviewed documentary), where the characters are brought so vividly to life, and their contemplations and actions in their dead-end lives, that I get reminded of the people I was around back in my grade school days (I've been out of the public school system for six months now). I remember the lay-abouts, the complainers, the overly medicated, and of course I remember the bullies, laying on abuse that sometimes they weren't even aware they were inflicting.

Nick Stahl plays Billy, bully among a circle of teenage friends in Hollywood, Florida, and his best friend from childhood is Marty, played with striking intensity by Brad Renfro, has been daily receiving torment, if not with punches and slaps, then more on the mental side. Soon, his girlfriend makes a suggestion "he should be killed", and very soon after that the circle of friends agree, and then it continues, along with a so-called hit man, a good small part for Fitzpatrick who was noteworthy in Kids.

There will be some out there who may not be able to stomach the elements - it's unrated, not a bad move, and there are as many moments of sex as in a Cinemax soft porn and as many moments of smoking dope as in a Method Man/Redman production - but that's all part of Clark's overall effect, and he pulls it off like a true craftsman and not as a overly exploitation film-maker. This circle of friends are a sad, hollow representation of the kinds of societies the youth of the nation inhabit, and the key is that it's correct, at least in such a banal suburbia. Grade: A

Larry Clark's great movie about real-life killers and their personality problems

[noizyme · 7/10 · 10 January 2005]

I, like tons of 20-somethings trying to relive their youth, picked up KIDS, the first movie from Larry Clark, a director who loves reality to the point of bypassing actual actors for kids on the street in almost every movie he makes. He loves crime and the demeanor of kids in their early stages of understanding society and people around them.

In this movie, which is based off the book by Jim Schutze "Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge," Nick Stahl's creepy role as "Bobby Kent" (portayed beautifully & gritty at the same time) is matched to Brad Renfro's "Marty Puccio," an abused kid who never stops his friend (Kent) from running his actions and life. Because his parents are unwilling to relocate, Marty has to put up with Bobby's actions against him and even values him as a friend of sorts. When two around-the-way girls named Ali and Lisa come into their space (portrayed by Bijou Phillips and Rachel Miner, respectively), the two boys forget their roles of abuser and abusee and transfer their energies into each girl.

Lisa becomes Marty's girlfriend, and though the group's closeness, they invite Ali over to sleep with Bobby. Bobby's persona, being already unbalanced and hostile, acts out on him in this particular scene in which he has rough sex with Ali and basically rapes her. So being the rapist and abuser that these kids know him as, they plot to kill him, but they still have their morals to battle with.

I won't give away the ending (being that I've spoiled basically half the movie), but the feeling of the entire movie is why you watch this. that and the acting was pretty crazy and believable. I loved seeing Leo Fitzpatrick as "the Hit-man" in this film (he was in KIDS in his first role, also directed by Clark). I love, also, how Clark was willing to hire another guy (Daniel Franzese) based on the fact that he loved KIDS and knew KIDS verbatim (even though he explains on the DVD that he could actually deliver a line or two). The rape scene was a little tough to get through, but I, personally, have seen worse (buy "Irreversible"). Also you get really creepy vibes if you've seen KIDS and then watch this because the director loves young-looking nudists in his films. At times, it's artistic, but when you seen Rachel Miner naked for the 10th time in the same film, you start to get the creepy vibes again.

Again, Nick Stahl did a fantastic job, as did Brad Renfro (even if his roles are usually of this difficulty...playing a lobotomized friend). Michael Pitt played the doper-friend (I've liked his acting since "Finding Forrester") who was a major part in this even though you wouldn't think it would be. I liked the playful role of "Heather Swallers," played by a Kelli Garner, who was cast a year later as a "huffer girl" in Todd Luiso's depressing "Love Liza" (so you can see the depth that directors cast he as).

So go out and buy this if you're into cult movies with great directing and acting. Very stylistic and real.

Excellent true story thriller

[The_Void · 7/10 · 18 July 2004]

Larry Clark first shocked the film world in 1995 with the explicit and relentless 'Kids'; and that's the movie he has become known for, and will be remembered for. However, Bully is a superior movie in every way.

Unlike Kids; Bully is not an aimless attempt to shock the population. It is evident throughout the movie, with the nihilistic view of sex and murder, that Larry Clark's main intention here, like with Kids, is to shock the viewer. But here the shocks aren't gratuitously over the top (with the exception of the actual murder), and because there is a plot, the shocks are allowed to become more shocking as we can care for what's going on, not just see the shocking images. Also unlike Kids, Larry Clark has put more emphasis on the characters and they are built up somewhat, unlike the cold shells we were presented with in Kids. Of course, the characters in this movie are based on actual living people and are not just works of fiction and therefore they are bound to have more depth.

Bully is based on the true story of a group of kids that killed their mean friend in order to end their problems. The character of the 'bully', played to perfection by Nick Stahl, is presented in a manner that very much makes him the villain of the piece. However, at the same time; the bully is given a human element; it is obvious that he's not a true villain, but rather a sexually confused teenager and therefore, when he is killed; the audience is made to feel guilty for wanting him dead, and we can therefore identify with the other characters throughout their guilt. And this is a great thing for a movie to do; Bully takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride and therefore it is a hard movie to forget. Unlike Kids; we're not shocked by what we see, we're shocked by what we feel and this makes for some very uncomfortable viewing.

The entire cast of Bully excels in their roles, and that's just another good point to add to Bully's already impressive resume. All characters involved are made believable and they all have their contribution to the story and none are lost within the film, and therefore, they all manage to stand out from the others.

Bully is impressive in many ways; the story is presented well and we are able to care for it, it is well acted, well characterized and the direction is more than competent. Overall, Bully is a great, if uncomfortable roller coaster of a movie, and it is therefore recommended to those that want to see movies that break the Hollywood mould, and movie fans in general.

I'd like to clear up some misconceptions about this movie

[psemmes · 5 November 2004]

It seems that the reviews of this movie are rather bleak because people say that the director focused too much on sex and that this was not a realistic picture for teens. I watched the movie, and read the book, and I have another reference source- my mother was a juror for the court case State of Florida Vs. Ali Willis and Donny Semenec. She was sequestered for over a month and was told every piece of information about these two teenagers and their friends.

This sex/drug filled movie is a spot-on represenation of these kid's sad life. They had no future, no regrets, didn't go to school and yes, they had sex with each other a lot. From what my mother says, if you were to make a movie about them accurately, it would have to be close to 75% sex. The bully was bi-sexual and would force his best friend to have sex with him after he had raped his girlfriend. These kids were also not poor white trash, as their parents were very wealthy, and they drove nice cars.

I think the fact is some people cannot stomach the idea of these kids being real, so they blame the director for not interpreting the story correctly. This is a story of middle- upper class kids, kids like your sons and daughters.

I thought this movie was very good. 7.5/10

Brad Renfro is an ACTOR

[Curtis G. · 7/10 · 8 September 2003]

In a nutshell: Disturbing, yet compelling. Should I feel bad about having enjoyed it? I feel like I should. At least I know now without question what Larry Clark is all about (not that I didn't already know after "Teenage Caveman").

While Nick Stahl was convincingly despicable and even Leo Fitzpatrick seemed more real than real, Brad Renfro OWNS his role as Marty. He was just so natural in the part that I can't help but think that, if he keeps making the right choices, he'll one day be considered a "great actor." One can only hope.

Makes the teen alienation of "Rebel Without A Cause" look quaint by comparison...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 6 November 2005]

Surfing on TV I came across this unknown film (unknown to me, anyway), and was quickly drawn into the story despite the most unlikeable, mindless bunch of foul-mouthed, acid dropping teens ever brought to life on the screen. Only later did I find out this was based on a true story of an incident that happened in Florida among a bunch of fairly affluent high school dropouts given little supervision by parents and bent on self-destruction.

Years ago we had stories of teen-age rebellion or alienation like "Rebel Without A Cause" which made a teen icon of James Dean. Here we have Brad Renfro heading a cast of relatively unknown actors but giving an intensely believable performance as a kid abused by his best friend (Nick Stahl), a bisexual sociopath and bully, with a taste for S&M who abuses all his friends for his own pleasure.

When a gang of teens hatch a plan to clobber him, led by Renfro's girlfriend, the whole half-baked idea ends up with them barely having a well thought out plan of how to make the kill. They hook up with a "mafia man" (local neighborhood punk with a reputation for contract killing), who finds out at the scene of the crime that none of them are as tough as they bragged about when it comes to the actual kill. Strangely enough, you find yourself rooting for the hit-man character (Leo Fitzpatrick) who has brains rather than the hapless teens playing follow the leader.

A chilling, disturbing crime story, laced with plenty of vulgar situations and casual use of foul-mouthed language, but honest in its telling of a very graphic murder committed by teens because of bullying and, it seems, an addiction for brutal video games. The teens are depicted as having mind-numbing stupidity, with one of them close to being retarded when he's on drugs.

At the closing credits, the sentences meted out to each teen is noted on the screen, each paying severely for mindless murder and mayhem.

Shocking tale is realistically presented and definitely not for the squeamish.

"Bully" (*****)

[dee.reid · 10/10 · 28 July 2004]

The teenagers viewed at the center of Larry Clark's "Bully" seem, at least to me, to really have nothing going for them. They have sex almost on a constant basis, drink, smoke pot, drop acid, and have reckless, meaningless lives. It might appear that "Bully" could possibly be a darker continuation of his 1995 outing "Kids," which also focused on endangered youth, but I think the questions at this film's core run deeper.

No doubt "Bully" will provoke outrage and controversy; those feelings are warranted, as they allow for intelligent discussion about the characters and events in the film. With this film, Clark's direction certainly seems a lot more focused, polished, and has much more outside appeal than "Kids."

The story centers on Marty (Brad Renfro) and his subliminally sadomasochistic relationship with his so-called "best friend" since they were kids, Bobby (Nick Stahl). Marty is your average teenage surfer-bum. He's dropped out of high school and is constantly picked on by Bobby. Marty befriends and eventually impregnates his new girlfriend Lisa (Rachel Miner).

Rachel sees and quickly grows tired of Bobby's constant humiliation of his "best friend" and suggests to Marty that one way to deal with Bobby is to kill him. So they call upon the "Hitman" (Leo Fitzpatrick) to help with the dastardly deed. From that moment on, Marty, Rachel, and several others embark on a path that is littered with boasting, lying, and guilt-ridden feelings about what they're about to do. No question that these teenagers get what comes to them in the end, and the build-up to that moment is quite intense.

If there is one thing that people can agree on about "Bully," it's that it is frighteningly accurate and true to life. The film, which is based on an actual murder that took place in 1993 in Florida, is quite authentic. Larry Clark even journeyed to the actual Florida suburb where the murder took place and the members of the film's young cast even take the names of those that were involved.

The cast is perfect; not a single terrible performance. If there's one thing these kids agree on, it's that Bobby deserves to die. He's just a bully, and a rapist to boot, who does the deed for the cheap thrill of it. There is no question that Bobby is perhaps one of the most loathsome characters ever depicted on film. He may be a closet homosexual (he has an obsession with gay porn; he takes Marty to a gay bar and forces him to dance on stage while the patrons stuff dollar bills into his pants; and his violent actions towards Marty and Lisa could be his way of dealing with those repressed desires) and he is a sociopath who may have been pushed to these limits by his tough, but loving father.

But look at the bigger picture: they're not killing him for the fact that he could be a homosexual; Bobby's murder is even more terrible for the simple reason there is no clear warrant for it. In fact, their actions aren't motivated so much by revenge, as it is jealousy. Most of these kids work low-paying jobs at fast food restaurants and live off of handouts from their ignorant parents. Bobby is on his way to college and looks to work with his father in their own business, which strangely enough, Marty takes up as a part time job.

Like "Kids," Clark makes good use of imagery. One of the film's closing shots says a lot more than a teacher ever could: Marty's younger brother stares sadly into his eyes, wearing a t-shirt that says "D.A.R.E. To Resist Drugs And Violence." Powerful imagery indeed. And also like "Kids," he makes good use of people much younger than the main characters; they talk, drink, and act like adults, and they haven't even hit puberty yet.

Much has been said about Clark's tendencies to zoom in on and focus on the anatomy of his young cast. True there is much sex and nudity in this film, but I think it's beside the point. Clark is simply trying to capture the reality of today's troubled youth - how sex and drugs are pitiful attempts at giving meaning to their lives.

"Bully" is an excellent exploration of the youth of today's dark and troubling times in America. Like "Kids," it's a film that's meant for intelligent discussion, beyond the usual controversy and rage that's custom for movies like this.

Larry Clark best movie.

[buchass · 7/10 · 29 April 2007]

"Bully" have impressive acting,its very realistic and brutal, its a film about slackers, bad persons, violence, drugs, sex, that affects teenagers, not only in U.S.A but in the all world, the normalization of violence its a subject very explicit in the movie. Its the story about teens that don't do anything and don't have any objectives in their life's,..

"Bully" its a strong portrait of nowadays society, in special the wealthy society...

I think that Bully its the Larry Clark best flick, much much better then "Ken Park", "Bully" in some ways its better than "Kids" (Larry Clark first movie), in the terms of acting and narrative..

If you like "Bully" i recommend:

"Kids","Ken Park", "Teenage Caveman", "L.I.E" and "River's Edge"..

Too close to home......

[sixxroxx · 10/10 · 20 October 2003]

After a friend of mine died in such a similar way, I began to research this story. The real story. I followed all court trials, read all the articles and books. This movie, BULLY, is an excellent portrayal of what really happened. The actors do a great job, especially Nick Stahl, who is the total best. This movie is not for weak stomachs, it is totally gruesome and it holds nothing back. Freaking excellent. If you like true crime and haven't seen this movie, check it out. I give it a 10+++++. NICK STAHL RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good except for all the unnecessary sex scenes between Renfro and Miner...

[rubybaybee · 6/10 · 20 April 2009]

Well first off, as far as acting goes, they all did a pretty good job. For me though, the best performance was by Nick Stahl as Bobby, the "bully" of "Bully." I couldn't stand his character, yet at the same time, I found myself disturbed and disgusted by the scene where he was brutally murdered by his supposed best friend and his gang of skeevy accomplices. I also found it sad that the only character with any real potential for a future was the one that was killed, although I know this film was based on a true story so I guess that aspect couldn't really be altered too much. Yes, Bobby was a perverted closet homosexual and a wacked-out psychopath who fed his sadistic nature by beating up his best friend Marty on a regular basis, verbally abusing him to bring down his self-esteem, raping girls, and raping Marty even. But deep down, looking past of all his screwed up flaws and mental issues, you could see that he had potential as a human being to excel in life and make something of himself, as well as the possibility of changing his ways and actually becoming a decent person, maybe after finally coming out of the closet and realizing Marty would still be his friend without being forced to stick around through constant physical and verbal abuse.

The rest of the characters annoyed me quite a bit. Marty seemed to have absolutely no depth, minus his desperation to escape the torment of being his best friend's b*tch. His girlfriend Lisa was even worse, with her needy and clingy obsession with Marty, even though she knew nothing about him except that he was a hot "surfer babe" who was good in bed and as much of a nymphomaniac as she was. Ali was your typical sl*t with zero sexual boundaries, willing to basically screw anyone and anything that was a willing participant, including her female drug addict friend Heather, another irritatingly shallow character. Heather's character was that of a skanky dirty-looking bored teenage girl just out of drug rehab. Donny was somewhat entertaining with his obvious stupidity and cluelessness, although he was just as burned out as Heather was, if not more so. Derek really served no purpose as far as characters go. He was just sort of there to go along for the ride. And Leo, the supposed hit man, was just a loser to put it lightly; a loser with a bad temper, actually.

The only thing that these characters really have in common is that they are all bored, stupid, rich, spoiled, doped up on drugs, and have the sex drive of a rabbit during the spring time. The sex scenes between Marty and Lisa were too often and completely unromantic. They lacked any real chemistry and had an empty physical relationship that for some reason has Lisa convinced that it was true love. To be honest, the relationship between Marty and Lisa drove me nuts because it reminded me of a relationship I once had when I was around the same age they were. That was probably the only aspect of the movie I could really relate to considering I've never been that bored or wealthy that I decided to gather up some random acquaintances and go murder someone I don't care much for.

As far as plots go, the story is tragically pathetic due to the characters being so eager to kill this guy that they were completely unprepared to handle the consequences of getting caught, which naturally, they did. It's a sad story, especially since it's true, but like I said, the only character I liked was the actual bully, Bobby. The rest of them were just plain annoying. And to be honest, if that's how these dumb kids actually were in reality, then I'm glad they're in prison. They shouldn't be allowed to reproduce anyway. My rating is 6 out of 10 stars, strictly for Stahl's character.

WORST MOVIE EVER...

[mikethegirl78 · 1/10 · 13 April 2002]

Words cannot truly express how awful this movie was. What is worse, everyone seems to have really enjoyed it. There is nothing unique about Larry Clark. All he is is a pedophile who enjoys seeing teenagers strip naked and rut like cockroaches in a tin can. Truly sickening movie. There was no character development in this story at all (despite the fact it is apparently true). The motivations of these kids did not convince me nearly enough. It seemed to be a completely random decision that they made and, with the horrible script, seemingly unjustifiable. Larry Clark needs to seek some severe mental counseling and stop trying to make a reputation for himself as the town kiddie-rapist. NOTE TO DIRECTOR: IT is entirely possible to make a good film and not thrive purely on how riske you can be.

Great acting...A haunting movie that stays with you

[colleen_71286 · 9/10 · 17 November 2005]

I watched this movie five days ago and I'm still affected by it. Afterwards all I could do was cry for the youth of America, because this isn't just some movie. It really, truly happened. The actors turn in outstanding performances as teenagers with nothing to do but turn to sex and drugs to fill the empty voids in their lives. Nick Stahl is particularly amazing as Bobby, the boarder-line psychotic who tormented his friends until they could take it no more.This is a sad, realistic look at how many teenagers really do act with their peers. Don't look for your typical teenager fare here because you won't find it. The language, sex, and drug use may bother some people, but thats because no one wants to believe that young adults can be this way. Well, I got out of high school two years ago and I can tell you that this is not far from reality. Thats probably why it has affected me so much...because I know that stuff portrayed in this movie really does happen. This is a great movie. Watch it. Then go tell your kids you love them.

A film that misses its mark

[Hurr78 · 6/10 · 28 July 2001]

Bully is an interesting attempt to create a film that says something about how teenagers think and act when left to their own devices, but it almost completely falls flat. Although some of the acting is good, especially on the part of Nick Stahl, the actors aren't given too much to work with. The script is a major problem. What (I assume) is supposed to be a provocative script just caused far too many laughs from the audience that I saw the film with. The characterizations just weren't developed enough to make any of their actions truly believable. Hence, the unintended chuckles. Not a complete waste of time, but a film that could have and should have been much better. I give it a 6 out of 10.

Controversial shouldn't always be considered a 'unmissable'

[nicolmcclelland · 2/10 · 22 June 2006]

Films like Larry Clarks 'Bully' seem to be becoming more and more popular. Unknown actors and the 'fly on the wall' style is now considered an 'arty' form of film making, and I'm all for trying out different styles and ideas. I'm also all for films that challenge the audience, make us feel uncomfortable, and don't gloss over the truth with happy ever afters.

However, this film far exceeds all of the above. It is grotesque, horrendous, and UN -beleivably painful to watch. I bought it because i had seen 'Kids' (another film of Clarks) which i thought was superb. This took everything that was good about that film, added 50 scenes of animalistic sex, explicit language, graphic violence, and more. There is absolutely no point to this film. It isn't entertaining, in fact, its the exact opposite. I finished watching it and had this immense need to stress how awful it is.. It doesn't teach us anything, we have absolutely NO feelings with any of the characters, and its repetitive need to focus on sex is boring.

We don't have to enjoy films to make them good, thats obvious. Bully has absolutely nothing about it that i could use to encourage one to watch it. The ONLY positive is the acting, again, like in Kids, the young people used in the film are incredibly believable. Even so, you can't help feeling like some kind of voyeuristic 'peeping Tom' just by watching 10 minutes of this film.

Attn: Parents

[jellybellybean11-1 · 28 June 2007]

I just watched this movie, and I found it interesting and compelling enough to check the IMDb site. I have always found Larry Clarks movies captivating, and this one was no exception. However when i was reading through the reviews I saw people constantly referring to the teens lives as "empty and meaningless", using their pot smoking and sex as examples.

This completely defeats the purpose of Larry Clarks films as I (as a teen) interpret them. These movies don't show "those" rotten kids hanging out on the street corners. They depict YOUR kids in a way you never want to see them. Thats why his movies are so powerful, because they show a reality few people want to admit exists. This movie, and Kids should be standard viewing for parents and teens alike. So parents realize what their kids are getting up to and so teens realize what can come of their actions.

Compelling, but what's the point?

[Steven Reynolds · 6/10 · 28 July 2002]

It's hard to know whether Larry Clark wants you to pity these kids or despise them. Perhaps he's just telling as it happened, and leaving it up to us to decide. But if honesty was the intention here, `Bully' would have worked so much better as a documentary. There, the motivations and backgrounds of the protagonists could have been more thoroughly explored. As a dramatization, there are just too many characters for the really interesting thing - the psychology behind such morally vacuous teen mob behaviour - to be satisfyingly explored. The gap is filled with a few falteringly written expository scenes - Marty sobbing to Lisa on the beach; Heather giggling about her awful home life - which try to show the emotional torture and moral emptiness which might lead to such criminal lunacy, but succeed only in sounding contrived. Generally, the cast make the most of what their given: Nick Stahl is great as bully-boy Bobby (though the character is underdeveloped) and Brad Renfro as Marty is particularly convincing (as he always is). It might not be pleasant, but with its relentless cycle of nudity, profanity, drugs and sex, `Bully' is at least compelling. I'm just not sure I'm any wiser for having seen it. And if that wasn't the aim in bringing such a story to the screen, then what was?

Well Acted- Yes, Flawed- Yes, Not Clark's Best Work But Watchable

[GrtOne41 · 7/10 · 16 August 2003]

*SPOILERS HEREIN*

Watching the kind of world the kids from Larry Clark's drama 'Bully lived in, you wonder what happened to them. It appears that no outside forces subjected them to their lifestyles; rather it was a personal choice. From Mustang driving, suburban teen sexstress Ali to whacked out acid-freak Donny, these kids have no apparent purpose other than to exist.

No, these kids have sex early and often with multiple partners, do most every kind of illicit drug, and participate in mindless entertainment such as 'Fatality' video games. The adults in this story aren't the problem because of what they do; it's what they don't do. None of them seem to truly care where their children are or what they are doing, and obviously neither do the kids.

The teens curse at will in front of their parents (an automatic backhand in my house growing up) and stay out until, well...whenever. Adults in this film have few lines because they do and are nothing, both to their children and in their eyes. Clark succeeds mightily here, as he makes every attempt to shift the blame to where it truly belongs- the children. There is no visual evidence that any of them go to school, work, or have any kind of ambition in life.

The characters make the most of their screenplay. Brad Renfro fabulously plays the tormented, picked-on best friend Bobby. While he excels, Clark could have casted this part much better. Renfro is too adult and distinguished looking to play the senseless teen character of Marty Puccio. He looks so out of place sunk into a couch shirtless, rapping alongside Eminem, shouting "I hate it when the cut the (bleep)in' swear words!"

Stahl shines as Kent, playing the homoerotic violent dominating personality. The real show-stealer is Mike Pitt, who plays druggie Donny. The scene in which Kent is driving to his own murder talking with Ali, Heather, and Donny is amazing. Pitt's facial expressions and line of `No dude, it's Donny.definitely Donny' is funny, subversive, and scary as hell all in one. The best scene in this film. Leo Fitzpatrick, while out of place as the Mafia Hitman, is excellent as well, as is Derek. While most every actor/ess Clark casted performs well enough, the blame falls on him for casting them out of place and his screenplay.

Bully builds up the murder of Kent for most of the film, and gives lots of reasons for why it happened. The only character you gather even the slightest twinge of sympathy for is Marty. He's been picked on, and beat up by Kent his entire life. One thing I didn't understand is when he fights back after arguing with Kent after accidentally damaging his Camaro and Kent coldcocks him twice. Kent then puts his arm around Kent and apologizes for his indiscretions. Did this happen with the real life Kent/Puccio? If so, why didn't Puccio fight back more?

It appears that the excess teen sex depicted was supposed to 'bother' or 'disturb' the audience. The kids screw each other like rabbits. After a while, it seems that Clark is showing the nudity just to push buttons. Renfro and Rachel Miner (who plays Lisa) have sex in quite a few scenes. The point is proven early in the film that the two have an odious boy/girlfriend relationship, and have sex often. Clark made a large mistake by inserting clips of the two of them, fully nude, engaging in sex acts at pointless moments.

The teen nude tip doesn't stop there. Connelley apparently likes to have phone conversations topless, and while Ali is having a phone chat, the camera drops down to her crotch, partially exposing her vagina. And while Connelley is checking for pregnancy, Clark sees fit to show her walking to, using, and walking from the toilet fully nude. The only legitimate explanation is that Clark wants to overshock people with this drivel. It takes a lot away from Bully.

While the murder build up is intense, the fallout is not. It appears Clark has little interest in what happened following Kent's murder. Nothing is mentioned regarding the police investigation and little has to do with the trial. I found that most disappointing. All that is implied is that one of the kids is a snitch and caused them to get caught. The irony here is the hit on Kent was so haphazardly and sloppily planned by brainless drug addicts, these kids were doomed from the moment Connelley told Puccio "Let's kill him."

In the end, Bully is disturbing, but not in the way Clark envisioned it. It's sad because this film could have been so much more. It ends up looking like a way for Larry to show more teen nudity/sex, drug use, and otherwise moronic behavior. The actors get an "A" for effort, but not even the mightiest performances can save it from mediocrity. GRADE- 6/10.

P.S.- For those who have seen the trailer, did you catch the ad ploy? When the movie's tagline is displayed, "It's 4AM, Do You Know Where Your Kids Are?" 'Kids' is italicized. Touché Mr. Clark.touché.

What If Your Kids Turned Out Like This?

[boyinflares · 9/10 · 16 November 2005]

Controversial director Larry Clark's based on real-life events "Bully" is sometimes quite hard to watch, but you can't quite stop yourself from watching the misadventures of these messed up children either. This film feels so real, so nitty-gritty, that at times, you may feel like an intruder, watching someone else's life. These children are so far removed from being children, it is hard to think that they actually are just children. After all, the concept of a group of kids killing their so-called friend, well, its hardly child's play now is it? The cast are great. Brad Renfro is top-notch in all his performances, here is no exception. Bijou Phillips is great, Rachel Miner is cunning, Kelli Garner is a lot of fun, Michael Pitt is slightly annoying, but entertaining nonetheless. Nick Stahl is intense, to say the least.

Of course it would be hard to say you condone the actions of these "kids", after all, they murdered. But it makes for gripping drama. The film also reveals the sentencing which the kids received for their parts in the murder, some of which was very surprising. A great film, but you need to be in the mood for a hard-watch.

a depressing view of the younger generation

[craig44-1 · 7/10 · 8 April 2007]

Numb-brain teenagers who spend their days watching "music" videos and getting high, decide to kill an obnoxious member of their group(Nick Stahl). What is extraordinary about "Bully" is the incredible immaturity and lack of any sort of brain activity on the part of the teenagers portrayed.The decision to kill another human being is no more important to them than what to have for lunch.One of the most chilling scenes in the movie occurs after the brutal killing.While having sex, two of the teens begin laughing about the death of their former friend.I suppose every generation has its share of aimless people, but the group of teenagers in "Bully" are as in-substantial as the video images they spend so much time watching.

Frighting and believable, must see for parents

[stebmarc · 9/10 · 30 April 2005]

This is a interesting and frightening film, worth a viewing by every parent of teenage children. Whether they know it or not, their children at least know children like these; they are living in a world that includes this reality. Some of the best insights are in the portrayals of the parents.

Every one of them believes that their child has fallen in with the wrong crowd, and they are all right. What they don't seem to be able to conceive of is that their child IS part of the wrong crowd and why it is wrong. None if then could be described as a good kid being lead astray, but all of them, except the psychologically monstrous Bobby, do have some appealing, or at least pathetic qualities, and might have been saved by adult intervention. But there is none and they are lost from the beginning. These parents can't see their children, don't know their children, seem to be afraid of them, afraid of confronting them either because they fear losing them or pushing them into even more destructive behavior. They seem to care, but not enough to risk embarking on a messy intervention. They only want to relate to them as the accessible children they used to be.

So the children (even though are 16-22, they are emotionally 8-10) are so addled by drugs and alcohol and sex that have no concept of the reality and consequences of actions. They do seem to have a good grasp of the one fact that their lives are essentially hopeless, what they are doing is unsustainable and can not lead to anything but self-destruction. They know it, but it is no more real to them than a video game. Nothing is real; you just hit the replay button and do it over. And there seems to be no one in their world, but other teenagers just like themselves. This includes the "hit man" they have mistaken for an adult, more competent than themselves, able to lead them in safely freeing themselves from the sociopath who main interest in life is controlling them, torturing them, convincing them they are worthless and helpless. It is gut wrenching to watch them deteriorate, individually and as a group, in the face of the actual murder and its aftermath.

Watching them is like watching school children hijack their own school bus and accelerate toward a brick wall: watching the crash in slow motion, fascinated and helpless, seeing the expressions on their faces change, seeing them looking at one another, saying "it wasn't my idea, I didn't do it, I didn't mean it" as the gap closes. The conclusion, the prison sentences, is devastating.

Underlying Evil of Apathy, this is Bully

[cafesmitty · 7/10 · 20 April 2008]

Everyone comes from this film a bit effected by this film. It's a story about suburbia's kids committing a heinous act. What I got out of this film was that suburbia is the problem. When you have non-define, sterile neighborhoods with nothing to offer but strip-malls, the kids will get apathetic and small problems turns into full blown disasters. This story is all about the complete disconnect between parents and kids. That even if the parent is "available" the hands off, let your kid do anything approach, doesn't work. I think there has always been an underlying evil to these "so called" planned closed communities. They have no identities, therefore the kids have no identities. I think the last scene of the movie sums up the movie. The scene where all the kids are sitting in the defendant's box and the parents all sitting in the stands with the complete look of perplexity. In fact they seem so disconnected from their kids as if they are looking at a used car. They seem as if they accepted the fact that they threw away their kids. And that understated acting by the people who played the parents has been overlooked. Sure, the actors that played the kids were great, especially the actress that played "Lisa". She was so convincing as a lost team with no sense of direction in her life. This is a remarkable movie that I think parents should watch. I have to warn you, there is a lot and I mean a lot of nudity. Now all the actors who did expose themselves were all over 18, but it still made me uncomfortable because they all were playing "young". Now the nudity and simulated sex scene are important to the story to drive home a point. That horny stupid kids make stupid decisions and perhaps if they weren't living in a disconnected state known as suburbia, maybe they would be better off. So, Bully is not a movie for everyone. In fact more people will dislike it then like it, but I can guarantee you this, if you watch it, it will stay with you.

An explicit made for TV movie

[thesoulmuncher · 2/10 · 4 September 2004]

This movie seems like it was made only to cash-in on a shocking news item. Despite being based on a true story, the horribly out-of touch writing makes the characters and their motives unbelelievable. There are also many unnecessary crotch-shots of the under-age looking actresses, which I found more disturbing than the movie itself. I think as far as cinema goes, the director Larry Clark has said all he needed to say. His whole point seems to be to leave a bad taste in your mouth and while perhaps that needed to be said with 'Kids', it's not something that needs to be said over and over again. To be honest I was not a big fan of 'Kids' but as tasteless as that movie was, it at least had some shock value. 'Bully' is just plain dull. Now whats on the other channels?

Portrays the decadent and violent reality of teen life today

[digg5555 · 9/10 · 15 December 2005]

Very real and compelling portrayal of a murder involving a group of teens growing up in suburban Florida. I could relate to the characters on many levels. Growing up in suburban Philadelphia I could have easily replaced the characters in the movie with people I in knew in my youth. It was a rude reminder of just how easily things can spiral out of control if you get involved with the wrong crowd and put yourself in such a precarious situation.

Although there were some parts of the movie that seemed over dramatized, it captures the violent and self destructive lifestyle American teens are exposed to, and the story is very well told and acted. Some might be put off by the crude sex and violence, but if you are able to look past that it a very entertaining movie that I would highly recommend.

Excellent, dark, intense

[jcslawyer · 7/10 · 3 April 2020]

Each time I watch a film with Brad, I am saddened that such a talented actor left too soon. This movie is really intense and sad and dark and doesn't leave you feeling anything but yuck. Nothing really twisty in this one, the summary says it all. The only issue I had was I wasn't really feeling the bully. That relationship, although complex, didn't make me get the impression of a typical bully. I'd have been more satisfied if he wasn't a buddy-bully. Yeah, he was a jerk, but he wasn't what you think of when you think of a bully. Nevertheless, it was a good movie that you should only watch if you're wanting dark.

Larry, what were you thinking?

[wrenfalling · 3/10 · 11 January 2003]

Okay, I admit I am missing the point. But I just don't get why an audience is supposed to endure lame dialogue, motiveless, aimless plot, and unlikable characters just because this is based on a true story. So what? What's so frustrating is how obviously talented Renfro, Miner and Phillips are, and how such lackluster characters do absolutely nothing for them. I loved Kids... Larry, what happened?