The headline is basically the story here: after one last appeal to the MPAA to overturn Bully's R-rating, The Wenstein Company has opted not to release the film with that rating, instead opting to simply release the film, presumably in its original form, as unrated. The drawback to this strategy? The film will only be released in five theaters, at least originally. Here's the press release:
March 26, 2012 – New York, NY – After a recent plea to the MPAA by BULLY teen Alex Libby and The Weinstein Company (TWC) Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein failed – by one vote – to get the film its deserved PG-13 rating, TWC is choosing to move forward with releasing the film unrated by the MPAA on March 30. BULLY will be released in theaters on Friday, March 30th in New York at the Angelika Film Center and AMC Lincoln Square and in Los Angeles at The Landmark, ArcLight Hollywood and AMC Century City.
There's been as much drama over the rating of this film as there has been over the content of the film itself. If you haven't heard, apparently there are five instances of the word "fuck" uttered in the film, which is three too many for those fucking prudes over at the MPAA, who can't believe that the ears of children might have already been fucking sullied by such fucking language well before they might've had the opportunity to see this fucking movie.
Rumors have been flying for weeks now regarding the ultimate fate of Bully, with many assuming that Weinstein would milk the media coverage for as much free publicity as he could, then bleep out a few of the fucks to get to a PG-13 rating. It looks like he's sticking to his guns, though, and making a decision that will very likely result in millions of dollars in lost revenue for him, especially as most large theaters chain won't show unrated films, and most newspapers won't carry advertisements for them. Good for him, I say, but it's a shame that the MPAA has proven themselves to be so out-of-touch with modern society yet again.
