I just received a press release from the Weinstein Co. announcing their appeal to the MPAA to drop the R-rating from Lee Hirsch’s documentary Bully failed. Although more than half of the appeals board felt the movie should be rated PG-13, the MPAA rules stipulate that a two-thirds vote is necessary to overturn. The final tally was one vote short of the number needed to reverse the decision.
As a result of this decision, the film, which takes a look at the bullying crisis affecting America, will not be able to be seen by children under 17 unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. It can also not be screened in U.S. middle and high schools.
The appeal was led by Harvey Weinstein who was joined by Alex Libby, one of the bullied children whose experiences are documented in Bully. Following the decision to uphold the R-rating, which was given “for some language” the Weinstein Co. released the following statement:
As of today, The Weinstein Company is considering a leave of absence from the MPAA for the foreseeable future. We respect the MPAA and their process but feel this time it has just been a bridge too far.
I have been through many of these appeals, but this one vote loss is a huge blow to me personally. Alex Libby gave an impassioned plea and eloquently defended the need for kids to be able to see this movie on their own, not with their parents, because that is the only way to truly make a change.
With school-age children of my own, I know this is a crucial issue and school districts across the U.S. have responded in kind. The Cincinnati school district signed on to bus 40,000 of their students to the movie — but because the appeals board retained the R rating, the school district will have to cancel those plans.
I personally am going to ask celebrities and personalities worldwide, from Lady Gaga (who has a foundation of her own) to the Duchess of Cambridge (who was a victim of bullying and donated wedding proceeds) to First Lady Michelle Obama (whose foundation has reached out to us as well), to take a stand with me in eradicating bullying and getting the youth into see this movie without restriction.
The only problem with the statement being made here is that in the “foreseeable future” the Weinstein Co. doesn’t have a film scheduled for release until August outside of Bully on March 9. I also don’t see them releasing films such as Butter, Piranha 3DD or Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained without ratings approval by the MPAA. So, does this “leave of absence” really mean anything when there really isn’t much power behind it?
I think we all see Weinstein’s point when it comes to this issue, but do you see what are most likely perceived as empty threats accomplishing much?
