So a compromise has been reached between The Weinstein Company and the MPAA. “Bully”‘s rating has officially been changed to PG-13, meaning teenagers will be able to see the movie in theaters without an adult and schools will be able to show it to students.
Obviously I am happy that this very important documentary will now be seen by the people (kids) who need to see it the most. However I am not happy that the filmmakers had to edit the film to get the rating changed. When I spoke to director Lee Hirsch a few weeks ago in the middle of the ratings controversy, he told me he hoped he wouldn’t have to cut anything from the film. But Hirsch seems o.k. with having to take out three uses of the “F-word” in order to get the ‘PG-13’ the studio and hundreds of thousands of supporters of “Bully” were looking for.
Personally, I wish the words stayed in. It’s feels like the MPAA won. And they won by bullying everyone involved with the film until they gave in. I’m sure that’s not the example the filmmakers wanted to send, but since the result is that millions more will now get to see the movie, and this could help end the serious problem of bullying in schools, then I guess there are no losers in this fight.
But I hope all of this attention on the MPAA during this “Bully” battle will force people to look at the ratings association and force it to make some changes on the way it does things.