Bully

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

Controversial director Larry Clark's based on real-life events "Bully" is sometimes quite hard to watch, but you can't quite stop yourself from watching the misadventures of these messed up children either. This film feels so real, so nitty-gritty, that at times, you may feel like an intruder, watching someone else's life. These children are so far removed from being children, it is hard to think that they actually are just children. After all, the concept of a group of kids killing their so-called friend, well, its hardly child's play now is it? The cast are great. Brad Renfro is top-notch in all his performances, here is no exception. Bijou Phillips is great, Rachel Miner is cunning, Kelli Garner is a lot of fun, Michael Pitt is slightly annoying, but entertaining nonetheless. Nick Stahl is intense, to say the least.

Of course it would be hard to say you condone the actions of these "kids", after all, they murdered. But it makes for gripping drama. The film also reveals the sentencing which the kids received for their parts in the murder, some of which was very surprising. A great film, but you need to be in the mood for a hard-watch.

I just watched this movie, and I found it interesting and compelling enough to check the IMDb site. I have always found Larry Clarks movies captivating, and this one was no exception. However when i was reading through the reviews I saw people constantly referring to the teens lives as "empty and meaningless", using their pot smoking and sex as examples.

This completely defeats the purpose of Larry Clarks films as I (as a teen) interpret them. These movies don't show "those" rotten kids hanging out on the street corners. They depict YOUR kids in a way you never want to see them. Thats why his movies are so powerful, because they show a reality few people want to admit exists. This movie, and Kids should be standard viewing for parents and teens alike. So parents realize what their kids are getting up to and so teens realize what can come of their actions.

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.

I watched this movie because I had seen Kids and thought that it was a pretty well directed movie. I base a lot of my movie viewing on directors and I figured that I would give Larry Clark a shot. I knew nothing about the movie before viewing it, I didn't even read the back of the DVD. This movie was one of the most astonishing films I have ever seen and I have seen a whole lot of them. The fact that it is based on a true story amplifies the impact. I will definitely read the book that it is based on and would recommend this film to my peers. As a warning, there is a good bit of nudity, strong language, and violence. But if you can sit through it, its worth it!