Victoria Justice approves. Do you?
Cast: Can you really call it a cast? The kids and parents they chose to follow were a good mix. Young kids, older kids. Parent, children, administrators. Kids who fought back, kids in the thick of it, kids that gave up There is a fine and effective variety.
Story: Since it's not really a "plot", story will do. This had a very good balance.There were definitely a lot of tough moments. Some of the things the people deal with are heavy, but Bully never gets bogged down in them. It doesn't milk things for effect and it doesn't artificially create any villains, more or less settling on apathy as the biggest problem.
Footage: The thing that most impressed me with this documentary is the footage they got. I don't know if the film crew were so ubiquitous that people forgot about them, but some of the stuff they got with the main kid, Alex, including the waivers they had to get from parents, was strikingly candid. Nothing felt staged which is the biggest risk for a documentary. They guy did play with the focus a little much, but nitpicking.
Elephant in the Room: Is it really that important to see this? There are some people for which this will be an eye opener, sure. I'm not convinced that kids will pick up on the nuance of some of what it has to say, so I think the importance for kids to see it will be overstated by a lot of people. That said, it is the most honest depiction of bullying and the difficulties faced stopping it. It will have far more of an effect on victims of bullying to show they aren't alone than it will on the bullys themselves
To Sum Things Up:
No need to see it in theaters. At least, nothing that I see that is added to by the theater experience. Anyone that is worries it will be too much for a child to watch though needs to loosen up. Nothing here that a kid can't handle. The ratings controversy over this is bullshit and another reason why the MPAA is awful.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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