‘Bully’ Documentary To Be Released Without A Rating

The Weinstein Company’s new documentary, “Bully,” will be released without a rating.

Harvey Weinstein, the film’s director Lee Hirsch, and several celebrity supporters of the film like Ellen Degeneres, urged the MPAA to give the film a PG-13 rating so a wider audience could learn from the film’s anti-bullying message. But due to the film’s serious nature and use of foul language, the film earned an R-rating from the MPAA.

The Weinstein Company has now decided to release the film without a rating. The Washington Post reports that the decision to show the film will now be up to theater owners. That isn’t exactly good news. According to John Fithian, the president of the National Association for Theater Owners president, said that “Bully” would be treated like all unrated films and would “automatically be given an NC-17 rating.”

The NC-17 rating will make it hard for the film to reach it’s target audience but several companies have agreed to promote the film. Social Vibe, AOL, Entertainment Weekly, Fandango, HitFix, The Huffington Post, IMDb, Maker Studios, Mediaite, Movie Tickets, MSN, New York Magazine, Rotten Tomatoes, Queerty, SocialTyze, Vulture, and WeeWorld and have all volunteered advertising space to promote “Bully.”

In a press release, The Weinstein Company thanked all of the people who fought to get the “Bully” documentary a PG-13 rating. Bladimiar Norman, Senior Vice President of Marketing at The Weinstein Company, said:

“The outpouring of support for this film is unlike anything I have seen before. ‘Bully’ and the social action campaign, The Bully Project, are very personal to The Weinstein Company and I am incredibly honored by the generosity of these websites. We faced challenges from the MPAA to restrict the audience of a documentary that has the ability to change lives. These influential sites will help to promote this film simply because they know the urgency of the issue and, like us, they care deeply about the lives impacted by bullying.”

Director Lee Hirsch reiterated the statement. Hirsch said:

“The small amount of language in the film that’s responsible for the R rating is there because it’s real. It’s what the children who are victims of bullying face on most days. All of our supporters see that, and we’re grateful for the support we’ve received across the board. I know the kids will come, so it’s up to the theaters to let them in.”

“Bully” is a documentary about an adult subject that affects kids. Hate crimes, suicide, and nonsensical violence are things that we hope children never experience. But they do. “Bully” addresses these issues and should be seen by as many teenagers as possible.

Here’s a video of Ellen pleading for a PG-13 film for the new documentary.

What do you think? Are you glad “Bully” will hit theaters without a rating?