Bully

In a nutshell: Disturbing, yet compelling. Should I feel bad about having enjoyed it? I feel like I should. At least I know now without question what Larry Clark is all about (not that I didn't already know after "Teenage Caveman").

While Nick Stahl was convincingly despicable and even Leo Fitzpatrick seemed more real than real, Brad Renfro OWNS his role as Marty. He was just so natural in the part that I can't help but think that, if he keeps making the right choices, he'll one day be considered a "great actor." One can only hope.

It seems that the reviews of this movie are rather bleak because people say that the director focused too much on sex and that this was not a realistic picture for teens. I watched the movie, and read the book, and I have another reference source- my mother was a juror for the court case State of Florida Vs. Ali Willis and Donny Semenec. She was sequestered for over a month and was told every piece of information about these two teenagers and their friends.

This sex/drug filled movie is a spot-on represenation of these kid's sad life. They had no future, no regrets, didn't go to school and yes, they had sex with each other a lot. From what my mother says, if you were to make a movie about them accurately, it would have to be close to 75% sex. The bully was bi-sexual and would force his best friend to have sex with him after he had raped his girlfriend. These kids were also not poor white trash, as their parents were very wealthy, and they drove nice cars.

I think the fact is some people cannot stomach the idea of these kids being real, so they blame the director for not interpreting the story correctly. This is a story of middle- upper class kids, kids like your sons and daughters.

I thought this movie was very good. 7.5/10

There's something about the kids in Larry Clark's films, such as this, Bully, and his 1995 classic Kids (which took place in New York and had the feel of an un-interviewed documentary), where the characters are brought so vividly to life, and their contemplations and actions in their dead-end lives, that I get reminded of the people I was around back in my grade school days (I've been out of the public school system for six months now). I remember the lay-abouts, the complainers, the overly medicated, and of course I remember the bullies, laying on abuse that sometimes they weren't even aware they were inflicting.

Nick Stahl plays Billy, bully among a circle of teenage friends in Hollywood, Florida, and his best friend from childhood is Marty, played with striking intensity by Brad Renfro, has been daily receiving torment, if not with punches and slaps, then more on the mental side. Soon, his girlfriend makes a suggestion "he should be killed", and very soon after that the circle of friends agree, and then it continues, along with a so-called hit man, a good small part for Fitzpatrick who was noteworthy in Kids.

There will be some out there who may not be able to stomach the elements - it's unrated, not a bad move, and there are as many moments of sex as in a Cinemax soft porn and as many moments of smoking dope as in a Method Man/Redman production - but that's all part of Clark's overall effect, and he pulls it off like a true craftsman and not as a overly exploitation film-maker. This circle of friends are a sad, hollow representation of the kinds of societies the youth of the nation inhabit, and the key is that it's correct, at least in such a banal suburbia. Grade: A

Raw, realistic, deeply disturbing and haunting film about a group of recently graduated high school kids whose lives are aimless and empty. With nothing better to do, they get together to plot the murder of their mean best friend (Nick Stahl), who was the only one bound for college and to make something of himself. With none of your usual Hollywood gloss and a well selected cast (especially Stahl in a creepy performance), this film has many powerful moments and completely draws you into it's story. Shockingly enough, based on a true story.

Unrated; Strong Sexual Content, Graphic Violence, Profanity, and Nudity.

I loved the way Kid's presented itself when it was first released, if I had it my way then that film would be shown to all the kids in high school's all over the world because the reality of what is going on in each character really hits home when watching this and I think it might make a lot of young kids think before what they do. Anyway that was my introduction to Larry Clark and the amazing Leo Fitzpatrick and when I had heard not long ago that these two got together and made another harrowing teen film called Bully I just had to watch it but apart of me wishes I didn't watch it because I scared me in a way because of how real it was. Leo Fitzpatrick is not the lead star in this one though, this one is left to Brad Renfro (Marty) and Nick Stahl (Bobby) who are two best friends who live in world where they sell phone sex for gay people and make homosexual films to sell to porn shops, just you're average teenager of course, but Bobby is a dominating friend towards Marty and Marty just breaks and decides with his vulnerable girlfriend that they should kill Bobby so he won't be a problem in their lives, from there we are taken into this dark tale of teenage revenge. There is a big build to what happens in this film and that's what makes it harrowing viewing because you just don't know what is going to happen. But by the time the film had ended I straight away bombarded the internet with information about the real happening of what actually went on.

Overall this is Larry Clark's best work to date and it opens you up to a whole new world of talented actors and a director that should be praised more about his work. This is not the sort of film that finishes and you go on with what you are doing, it will stay in your head for a while and will leave wanting more in way because you really feel that you want the film to go on a bit longer to know more about these fascinating characters.