Bully

There are very very very few movies that treat murder like, oh, I don't know, murder. Maybe spent a little too much time validating their desires and then fell into what is the basic outro of every heist movie where people ruin everything because of sheer stupidity after the fact. Abrasively unpleasant. Larry Clark doesn't really do comedies, does he?

Bully is about the disconnect between an action and its consequences, and the film follows a slacker group who appears to be stupid by choice. As a group, they commit a crime no member would be capable of committing individually - this is made clear by the end. They are aimless, without upward mobility or resources, their parents are oblivious, they inhabit a moral cesspool, and freedom means being able to smoke weed and drive a car around strip malls and fast food joints. Florida is gross.

I don't think it would be saying too much, if I call this uncomfortable viewing. You'd expect nothing less from Larry Clark, and yet, you'll wouldn't expect something quite as unpleasant as this. Why Nick Stahl isn't a bigger star is simply a mystery - as overlooked as the equally great - tragically late: Brad Renfro.

Great acting and a very dark story make for an unforgettable film. Granted, Larry Clark is a bit of a perv, and lingers perhaps uncomfortably long on the often-nude bodies of his teenage leads, but its worth it to watch career-making performances from Renfro, Phillips, Stahl and Leo Kirkpatrick. Adults might hate to think this is realistic, but it is.

An underappreciated masterwork. Larry Clark was a perfect match for Schutze's scary true crime book. After hanging out with these teenagers from Florida whose reality is distorted by drugs, we see that these kids have become capable of committing despicable violence without realizing the seriousness of their actions and that dynamics within the group allow them to do so without caring or taking responsibility. The performances are fantastic, and the last act gets to me every time.

For a fun shocker, "accidentally" show your preteen this instead of the Tom Arnold comedy Big Bully!

Very, very good. Crazy that this actually happened to someone.

Another beautiful dark movie with Brad Renfro.

What a fucking cast! Brad Renfro (RIP), Johnny from The Wire, the gay friend from Mean Girls, and the unfathomably talented Michael Pitt. This has the same guilty pleasure appeal to me as Degrassi (not that I've watched it in 10 years), but it's of a much higher caliber. I love that Ebert gave 4 stars. I've spent only a few hours in Hollywood, but Clark really nailed it. The uninspired monotone shopping centers, the screened in backyards surrounding a community pond, the shirtless breakfasts...

It feels like you are the one of those guys. But you're not sure what you should do. It's sort of perverted but devastating movie.

A gritty and brutal film about a murder that oozes realism.

You might call it 00s white teen exploitation, but this actually is spot on portraying this abrasive, violent American culture of waste. Clark's eye for details is just brilliant, even if the scrips feels a little too expository. For all the brutal sex and violence scenes, my favorite is the one where Miner's character just tells everything, as if she was talking about a guy she kissed, about Bobby's murder in a sunny Florida day, to the chagrin of a friend.

quite confronting because it is so real and believable

Most of the stars are for the cast, and I only know their good from other work. This is controversial now is it? Having a young cast wander around naked for half the time? My ass. Getting away with it at the end would have been controversial. Sorry for the spoiler. All this film left me with was a dislike for a very strange justice system (the sentences were HUGE, the defence lawyers must have sucked). Kids is a superior film

What a mongo film! I bet Larry Clark is a retarded, just like his characters.

Larry Clark knows his teens. He first showed us with the magnificent Kids and once again here with Bully. Being based on a true story only makes it even more tragic and Im just happy that Im not a part of the hot, boring Florida enviroment that these youngsters seems to grow up in. All of the actors does a great job depicting the adolescent, bored, marihuana smoking, horny teenager...

Most interesting story, with great performances from most of the cast.

So I'm learning this was based on a true story or inspired by true events ? I don't know real life murder stories have a weird effect on me But This one just felt like I was watching a bad "Acid Trip"

Some clever and interesting moments, and effective in creating a portrait of desperate and nihilistic youth. But on the whole it feels kind of sordid, and watching such idiotic, cruel, and pathetic youths wears at my patience.

A true crime drama that really is all about the crime. There's no real desire from Larry Clark to give this a wider social context, beyond the most superficial hints, but I'm OK with that: as a look at one particular incident, it's devastating, dark viewing.

Interesting movie about a bunch of Florida youths who plan and execute the murder of a member of the group who has been bullying the others. Unnecessarily melodramatic at times, it's got some interesting camera work and still packs a visceral punch.

Makes me rock hard!

Having hard time finding any deeper meaning in these kind of "white midde-class kids going/acting bonkers"-type of movies. One step down from a porno movie. Teen decadence in fantasy world.

There's a somewhat intriguing film here about the detachment of young adults in middle-upper class parts of America, but this is a hell of a disastrous rendering of that. Even if this were a full blown parody (though it doesn't identify itself as one), these characters' actions and motivations still seem hugely questionable and moronic. I was flabbergasted at the retardation of these characters -- perhaps this is exactly what happened, but I doubt it would've happened like this.

A good idea, terrible execution. Holy shit did this drag on, and I don't believe a second of it really.

The script and acting are lacking, but Larry Clark's fine direction makes up for it.

This was trying way too hard to be shocking (which is a running theme with Clark who really likes young actors to be nude). I didn't care about anyone in this film probably because I felt almost all of them were annoying.

There was kind of the story, but all in all I have to say I do not fancy much of drug stories. Story of empty and meaningless teenage lives and their abyss deep distance from their parents. Kids tries to fulfill their days with sex, drugs and crusing around. Or bulling around. Towards the end the story become less interesting.

Realistic at times, melodramatic at others.

Quite the fucked up little story about Florida teen life, especially considering it's based on a true story. You will recognize quite a few faces who have gone on to further their careers. If you don't mind violence and nudity it is definitely worth a watch.

Found it to be rather low brow. The dudes naked and people are plotting murder and nothing is really being taught. Meh.

what a stupid film.

"What are you kids doing tonight?" It's got a serious structural flaw: namely, the decision to kill Bobby is an almost complete non sequitur. Still, Larry Clark achieves a lot of moments of total believability and reality, helped by an extremely talented cast. I like Clark's unaffected style, and it's the perfect antidote to Lars von Trier (who directed the flick I watched before this...gotta stop doing that...). For some amusement, look up the director's thoughts on working with Bijou Phillips.

Fuck YOU Michael Pitt.

A bad movie but one that I have a soft spot for

This is a messed up film.

Fun to watch but man, what a bunch of miserable stupid fucks in this film.

Based on a true story so you can't call it unrealistic. This is a pretty nihilistic little film that doesn't give any particular deeper message as to how and why the events are happening. At times it just feels like an exploitative exercise in violence with little redemptive value.

there are some scenes in this movie that will stay with you for a while..the rape scene esp...the actors I thought were ok..the movie towards the end dragged...its still a decent movie

I have to wonder if the character Rachel Miner is portraying is nude that much in her normal life (seriously, it feels like she's got more screentime naked than clothed). I'm not a big Larry Clark fan in the first place, and being based on a true story just makes this all the more sad (the tagline is right on)

It was an interesting story and premise but it's executed so poorly that you are just begging it to end. Acting is really spotty and uninteresting, you can tell how removed from youth the director is. Tries to be shocking but if you're reading this you've seen way worse.

It's tacky, but worth it. Most revenge films ask whether the revenge is justified; Bully's focus is on the more interesting issue of paranoia among conspirators and the difficulty of keeping a secret even if it's for one's own good. (Rewatch Oct 2020: Forgot how intense Renfro is. If you are younger than these characters and wondering if the dialogue, attitudes, and personalities are realistic, this is roughly my generation & to a lesser extent my class, and I'd say so.)

Brutially real

First ranking on August 24th, 2013: 74 Second ranking on March 28th, 2016: 70 Thoughts: By the time it got interesting, I was too distracted by better things to really concentrate. The first half of this movie is incredibly bad, INCREDIBLY bad.

69.500

Considering this is a true story it is especially chilling. Somewhat one sided portrayal of how a teen bully can alienate his friends and inspire murder. There are several great scenes of beautiful naked teenagers, but it is a backdrop for the plot to murder. It is hard to understand how these teenagers could be so cavalier about it, even though their victim is anything but innocent. The acting is rough around the edges, but is adequate. Bad Music. A sad story about teen violence and stupidity.

It's no "Kids", but it's a poignant, complex, and hard-hitting film.

Started off interesting but then drifted. Took too long to the murder by which time it had lost the impetus. Watching the kids fall apart afterwards was insightful.

Over exaggerated. The lack of dynamics in pace is really annoying and completely damaging for the film as whole. This is just 5 or 6 kids yelling at each other for two hours. The ending, albeit being way too short, makes this an uneven affair, and not just a miserable one.

sick movie! sick kids! almost a porn movie lol. insane penalties! 24 years for conspiracy.. in norway u get like 3 year for cold blooded murder. Same u get for stealing a tv in USA:P

Completely undermined by its abased commitment to reveling in its own prurience.

'Hey look at these uncontrollable kids doing terrible things. Watch them have sex. Isn't this shocking?' That's Larry Clark in a nutshell. Well fuck you Larry. You've never said anything of substance about anything. You make vapid exploitation flicks, that are a fucking chore to sit through, and I'm not doing it anymore.

Hard to watch, but effective.

This movie leans into that examination of violence category where things are presented objectively at least I thought so. Some of the dialogue feels deliberately immature or outlandish. I say that because of how strangely people deliver their lines and such. It's hard to watch at times, pretty uncompromising as well but much less difficult to watch as oppose to "Kids" still pretty skeezy especially the gratuitous nudity. Its like mid tier in regards to filth but still very effective.