Bully: The MPAA Responds to Pressure & Comes To Their Senses

‘Bully’ Filmmakers & The Weinstein Co. Cuts 3 “F-Words” & The MPAA Changed Film Rating

I have to congratulate Katy Butler, and Lee Hirsch, for successfully using the change.org petition platform to communicate the public’s outrage about the MPAA’s decision to give an “R-rating” to the film “Bully.” Their activism, together with the half million people who signed the change.org petition, and a small edit to the film, has resulted in the MPAA changing the rating to PG-13 rating, which will ensure that everyone can see the movie.

This is great news and  I think it’s fantastic.

Steven Zeitchik wrote on the L.A. Times  24 frames blog:

The new cut of the Lee Hirsch film makes some concessions to the MPAA: It removes an obscenity that begins with the prefix “mother” in an early scene, along with two other quickly uttered F-words. Audio will be dropped out in all three instances.

But the new cut leaves intact a controversial scene on a school bus in which three F-words are used against a bullied child. The case now represents an exception to the MPAA’s rules; the group typically will impose an R rating on any film with more than two F-words.

In an interview, Hirsch said that he felt satisfied by the results. “This was about drawing the line but not being utterly unreasonable,” he said. “What’s absolutely relevant is the scene that we retained. There was one [obscenity in another scene] I didn’t want to give up. But I didn’t want to hold back all the groups that wanted to see the movie, Boy and Girl Scout groups and school groups, that wouldn’t be able to go if we stayed unrated.”

The new rating means that children of any age can see the documentary without an adult. An R rating requires adults to accompany children under the age of 17; a PG-13 simply offers guidance without imposing an age minimum.

BRAVO and 3 cheers for the change. I’m thrilled  that common sense prevailed.

 straight talk in a queer world.

 jiveinthe415.com

 

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