Bully | | Cast : | Brad Renfro, Nick Stahl | | Director : | Larry Clark | | Studio : | Vidmark/Trimark | | Format : | Color, Widescreen, Closed-captioned, Dolby | | Released Date : | January 01, 2001 | | DVD Released Date : | January 29, 2002 | | Language : | English (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | Unrated | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 01, 2005 | | Summary | 'Gastly' direction? Awful acting? | Content
 | Bully. How do I start? The film is thought-provoking, that's for sure. Eye-opening, of course. But just because a movie has heavy amounts of violence/sex/drugs doesn't, by any means, make it good. The real winning trait about the film is the interesting teen character study it provides for the viewer. Most all off these kids weren't killers, and only a few knew the victim personally. So why did they kill? As the subtitle of the novel about the story asks, 'Does anyone (even the worst of bullys) deserve to die?
Lisa Connolly is pretty much your average teen droppout. She lives at home with Mom and frequents the beach for lack of anything else to do. Marty Puccio is a surfer, and, like Lisa, a high school droppout. The two meet, and this leads to an almost-instant relationship. But things aren't perfect by far, and though Lisa falls 'in love' with Marty, there's always his best friend, Bobby, to deal with. Bobby seems to get off on tormenting Marty with violent pranks and a few punches, which Lisa soon becomes alarmingly aware of. Then, when Bobby rapes her best friend, Ali, Lisa begins to plot murder with Bobby. After moments of hesitation and jokes, the two, along with a motley crew of other teens, (mostly droppouts and one so-called ' mafia hitman') decide that Bobby's gotta go. And the teens serously start plotting Bobbys death.
Whoaw! A reviewer actually said the film lacked worthy acting! I never would've guessed. Rachel Miner, Nick Stahl, and Bijou Phillips, all showed decent range in the film, and were certainly not 'awful'. Indie awards really overlooked (or missed it altogether) Bully. It really is a shame.
Larry Clark, who shocked the world with 1995's Kids, succedes again in shocking his audience. Though not as groundbreaking as the aforementioned, Bully is still a good watch, though very risque, and not for the immature.
R. It's been so long since I've written a review. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 30, 2005 | | Summary | LARRY CLARK IS A PERVERT!!!! | Content
| LARRY CLARK is the kind of guy who should be locked away and never let out. Letting this movie be directed by a guy who came out with a series of photos called "TEEN LUST". This movie is simply an excuse for him to show teenagers completely naked. I'm no prude, but about, oh, 99 percent of the nudity has no reason to be there. The acting is awful, the directing is gastly, and the story is just terrible. Plus, none of these characters are forgivable, they're just as bad as the kid they kill. Not all teenagers are this violent or stupid. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 30, 2005 | | Summary | Nick Stahl and Brad Renfro at their best. A film best watched in solitude. | Content
| Renfro, probably best known for his role as the young boy in The Client (also in Apt Pupil, Sleepers and Ghost World) finally made it after he pulled off a hugely believable role as Marty Puccio in Bully. Nick Stahl, who had a bit part in The Thin Red Line and a major role in In the Bedroom and The Man Without a Face, also glistens in his role as Bobby Kent, a high school miscreant who gets his thrills out of beating up his best friend and sexually harassing any female within reach.
It's Bobby's flamboyantly cocky demeanor that spells his demise. A group of teenagers - three girls and four boys, including Bobby's best friend Marty, decide that Bobby should die and lure him to a swamp, where they stab him and beat him to death. This film is disturbing, as you quickly see that these kids intend to carry out their dark plans and find yourself screaming at the TV, "Bobby, get out of there, man! Dude, I think you're scum, but you don't deserve to go down like that. Not even you!"
But your screams, be they inward or outward, go unheard of course. I truly think this film should be watched in solitude the first time. There are some gratuitous nude scenes, pervasive language, and a great deal of violence - especially in the last scene. Many of your friends will NOT LIKE this film, no matter what kind of people you hang with. Some will be sickened. Others will simply say to turn it off. In other words, this film IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.
If you can handle the aforementioned type of scenes, and enjoy good, well-acted indy films, this is perfect for you. If not, STAY CLEAR. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 21, 2005 | | Summary | Very disturbing in spite of the glossy coating of prettiness | Content
| These are all great kids. They are your neighbor's kids, they are your kids. They go to the same high school that your kids go to. They don't mean any harm, they just want to have a good time.
This is exactly how you would see them if you were wearing rose-colored glasses. The reality is that these kids were spoiled dropouts, druggies, and didn't work most of the time.
Bobby Kent (Nick Stahl) is cruising through life, waiting for daddy to set him up with his own business, but not wanting work to interfere with his playtime. Bobby is a bully, he is verbally and physically abusive even to his best friend Marty Puccio (Brad Renfro). And if Bobby wants to have sex with a girl, he will have it by force if necessary.
The movie starts where Lisa Connolly (Rachel Miner) and her best friend Ali Willis (Bijou Phillips) meet Marty and Bobby at a deli. They meet later at North Beach and even later have sex, and Lisa falls head over heels in love with Marty. The only thing that bothers Lisa is Bobby. She doesn't like the way Bobby rules Marty's life, or the way he treats her.
After Lisa tells Marty she is pregnant and Marty blows up at her, Lisa decides that it is all Bobby's fault. She believes the world would be perfect for her and Marty as long as Bobby wasn't in it. It's not hard for Lisa to get Ali on her side, especially after Bobby raped Ali, but the murder job she has planned will involve more people.
Ali brings in her new boyfriend, Donny Semenec (expertly played by the talented Michael Pitt) and her close friend Heather Swallers (Kelli Garner). Lisa enlists the aid of her cousin Derek (Daniel Franzese) and another local boy known as The Hitman (Leo Fitzpatrick).
The gang invites Bobby out to a deserted area along one of Florida's many canals, using the promise of sex and drugs to lure him in, but instead they murder him in cold blood.
Bully is based on a true story, and really surprised me at how well it came out. I urge you to watch it closely, because there is a great deal of sex in the movie that can be rather distracting. At first, I thought it was like a Calvin Klein underwear commercial, there was so much teen nudity and sexual situations, even those flashing buffalo-shots of panties, shorts, packages, and whatnot. But then the message sunk in; this was the way these kids treated sex! Casual, no-big-deal, something-to-do, more like having a cigarette than sharing intimacy.
At first viewing I thought the beginning to be a bit slow, mostly because of the many sexual scenes, but the portrayal of these kid's deviant behavior is important to the set up of their overall mentality. So kick back and relax, and keep watching. It definitely gets better.
It struck me how little regard these girls held for themselves and their bodies, social acceptance based on sexuality, breeding like cats in an alley, and treating pregnancy as if it were of no consequence. It's no wonder to me that they were capable of murder.
The acting is really quite good in Bully, but its plain that Michael Pitt is far above the rest. You will swear that he really took dope to play his character, even pulling down a few laughs from me, especially with the clothespins.
Overall, Bully is a great movie. The mood is captured well, the photography good, the acting good, and the script definitely well written. If you are shy of nudity or a bit of violence, you may want to cover your eyes a bit. Enjoy!
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| Rating | | | Date | June 18, 2005 | | Summary | Teenage Wasteland | Content
| Living in Broward County Florida, Marty Puccio (Brad Renfro) and Bobby Kent (Nick Stahl) seem on the surface to be inseparable. However, very early it is realized that Bobby is a bully. Bobby is not the take your lunch money type bully, he is the bully that everyone should be terrified of. His bullying ranges from punching and beating to the absolute horror of rape.
When Lisa Connally (Rachel Miner) meets Bobby and Marty working at a local Publix, she is immediately drawn to Marty. Her best friend Ali Willis (Bijou Phillips) is present as well and the two girls begin spending time with Marty and Bobby. It doesn't take long for Lisa to witness and realize just how horrible Bobby is. She notices a big change in Marty's attitude whenever Bobby is around. While Bobby constantly berates Marty, instead of standing up for himself he seems to take his anger out on Lisa. In Lisa's mind, Bobby is the source of everyone's problem since his bullying is not limited to only Marty. If beating up isn't enough, Bobby also rapes and beats both Ali and Lisa. Lisa believes the only the abuse will stop is if Bobby is done away with entirely.
Lisa has a problem. She wants to rid of Bobby, but not alone. Therefore she recruits Ali and Marty in on her plan. Ali in turn recruits her drug induced boyfriend Donnie Semenec (Michael Pitt) to come along for the ride. Donnie wants no part of it but within the blink of eye changes his mind when Ali promises lots of drugs. Ali brings along another drug induced friend named Heather Swallers (Kelli Garner). Now the circle is complete. The 5 get together and make plans. The first plan to murder Bobby goes awry when Lisa loses her nerve while alone with Bobby and Ali. Now with Marty upset, Lisa begins to panic and recruits her cousin Derek Dzvirko (Daniel Franzese) to help with weapons. Ali in turn recruits a friend also named Derek (Leo Fitzpatrick) and also known as the "hit man" to neighborhood kids. The "hit man's" job is to give pointers and tips on how to carry out a murder.
Even while all the kids gathered together and brought knives and bats with them , no one really thought that a murder would really happen except Lisa and Marty. There were jokes about beating him up and then outright questions about what would happen, but they really didn't seem to think it was real. It was like this a game to the majority of them. However, under the lead of the supposed hit man Derek Kaufman, the kids pile into 2 cars and lure Bobby Kent to an isolated pond late at night on July 15th, 1993. For Bobby, this would be his final night.
The main characters
Brad Renfro : Even though Brad has been in several movies such as Apt Pupil and Sleepers , he is best known from his part in the movie The Client . He did a remarkable job in his role as Marty Puccio, and the lead in the movie. Although playing a dirty role, Brad's performance makes it hard not to feel just a bit sorry for him. I mean, the poor guy was beaten up daily and Brad perfected his facial expressions and crying scenes so much that my heart really went out for him. In looking at the real Marty Puccio, there is a scary resemblance that Brad shares with him. This in turn makes his role as Marty even more believable.
Nick Stahl : Nick Stahl plays Bobby Kent. The real Bobby Kent was over 6 feet tall and very buffed up, so it is really hard to imagine Nick and Bobby and more than that, Nick as a bully. Nick and Brad stand about the same height yet Brad is a bit more built than Nick. Physically, Nick in no way looks believable as a bully. After watching the movie, I know exactly why they chose Stahl for this part. His performance is flawless.. His role as a bully is extremely convincing despite his lack of physical prowess. Nick is also known for his role in Terminator 3 and the HBO series Carnivale .
Rachel Miner : Although Rachel Miner appeared in several soap operas, she really better known as being Macauley Culkin's ex wife. In the role of Lisa Connally, Rachel showed she can act just as well (and in my opinion better) than her ex husband. I ended up not like her character much at all, but that's only because Rachel did such a wonderful job portraying a jealous girlfriend out for blood.
Michael Pitt : Michael Pitt plays Donny Semenec, and he does such a great job as a druggie that I think he may have actually been under the influence while filming. If not, then this guy deserves an Oscar for his performance in this movie. Michael Pitt's performance is simply outstanding and he is hands down the top performer in the movie.
The other performances were decent enough ( Leo Fitzpatrick did a good job as the hit man), but not anything noteworthy.
My thoughts and recommendations on Bully
This movie is definitely a disturbing movie and is not intended for children of any age, or really even for adults with weak stomachs. The film is directed by Larry Clarke, who is known for making disturbing movies such as Kids (also starring Leo Fitzpatrick) and Gummo . Larry once again leaves nothing to the imagination on this film as well. There are graphically brutal scenes, and way too much sexual content that seems to be overdone. Those scenes sway away from the plot of the movie and I will never understand why Larry included some of the scenes that he did.
However, this film does accomplish something many movies about teens fail to do. This is an in your face, no holds barred, no sugar coating involved look at the way a lot of teenagers and even young adults live. I am not implying that most teenagers are violent, but the day to day life that these kids lead is very present even to this day and often overlooked. This film will not allow you to overlook anything. What really bothers me the most though is that the parents are really nowhere to be found. While these kids are all drop outs and partying their useless days away, the parents seem to just turn the other cheek. It is frightening to think there really are parents out there like that and their children are taking everything about life (including murder) as a big game.
Although disturbing, I recommend this movie for two reasons. The movie really is good because of the fine acting. Also, the fact that this has become a reality in today's society and Clark does a great job being as "real" as he can with this film, makes it something worth watching. |
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