Bully

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Bully

R

2001

1h 47m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

53%

Tomatometer

86 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

As Bobby Kent lay bleeding on July 14, 1993, he called out for help, and then mercy from his friends. Their response was quick and deliberate. Larry Clark's "Bully" chronicles the incident that would leave a community stunned, parents nonplussed and heartbroken and a group of defendants convicted of a brutal crime for which they never repented.

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Critics Consensus

With its lingering shots of naked teenage bodies, Bully feels more sordidly exploitative than realistic.

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Tanner Tafelski

Village Voice

Oct 30, 2019

What Clark does suggest in this confrontational work is a cultural condition in American suburbia by which relations between parents and children are strained or even nonexistent.

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Tom Dawson

BBC.com

Feb 20, 2002

2/5

There's something troubling about a film which, on the one hand, wants to take a moral stance about a lost generation, and on the other relishes shooting the nubile flesh of its young actors.

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Loren King

Boston Globe

Sep 14, 2001

The moral wasteland of suburban youth has been examined, earlier and better, in The River's Edge. Clark's leering leads nowhere: In Bully, he has nothing new to say, and, in the end, no real point to make.

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Eric D. Snider

EricDSnider.com

Apr 14, 2012

B

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Hannah G

@hannahxkora Jul 29, 2026

It’s based on a true story, which makes it even more interesting and disturbing to watch. There is a lot of sexual and inappropriate content throughout the movie, so that’s definitely something to keep in mind before watching. I liked all of the characters, and the movie kept my attention the whole time. One of my favorite parts was the mid-’90s vibe. The way everyone dressed and acted, the nighttime scenes, them riding around, partying, and just the overall atmosphere gave the movie such a strong “back then” feeling. I really liked that whole aspect of it. Since it’s based on a real murder, I would recommend doing your own research afterward and not getting all of your information from the movie because it is still a dramatized version of what happened. Overall, I thought it was a really good movie and definitely worth watching.

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Daniel L

@Hotchopeppa Mar 21, 2026

Great nudity but very average movie.

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April T

@April999 Mar 17, 2026

I had recently watched it because I prefer movies based on true stories. I ended up shutting it off ,I gave it way longer than deserved, it was basically a certain teenage girl having sex seemingly every 5 minutes. I didn't get to really know any of the characters because I'm guessing the director enjoyed watching fake sex and seeing young girls nude than actually directing a movie. It was rather disturbing to think this is about someone's child and all your seeing in the movie is naked girls.

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Donna L

@DLL1963 Jan 9, 2026

This movie is pornographic and I suspect old man Mr. Larry Clark enjoyed hanging out and using drugs with these young people. It is so sad because it is a story that needed to be told but it could have been done in a MUCH better way.

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Wolverine P

@RT32384172 Jul 10, 2025

I watch this movie whenever it is on, even though the movie gets some stuff wrong in what really happened.

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Carey C

@RT89638493 May 22, 2025

It’s par for the course for a Larry Clarke film. It’s exactly like the book with only minor differences.

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Synopsis

As Bobby Kent lay bleeding on July 14, 1993, he called out for help, and then mercy from his friends. Their response was quick and deliberate. Larry Clark's "Bully" chronicles the incident that would leave a community stunned, parents nonplussed and heartbroken and a group of defendants convicted of a brutal crime for which they never repented.

Director: Larry Clark
Producer: Don Murphy, Chris Hanley, Fernando Sulichin
Screenwriter: Roger Pullis, Zachary Long, Jim Schutze
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Lions Gate Films
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Sexual Content|Strong Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $510.1K
Runtime: 1h 47m

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