''Bully'' is a 2001 crime drama film directed by

Larry Clark Lawrence Donald Clark (born January 19, 1943) is an American film director, photographer, writer and film producer who is best known for his controversial teen film ''Kids'' (1995) and his photography book ''Tulsa'' (1971). His work focuses prim ...

, and starring Brad Renfro,

Bijou Phillips Bijou Lilly Phillips Masterson (born April 1, 1980) is an American actress, model and singer. The daughter of musician John Phillips and Geneviève Waïte, she began her career as a model. Phillips made her singing debut with '' I'd Rather Ea ...

, Rachel Miner, Michael Pitt,

Leo Fitzpatrick Leonardo Aurellio Randy Fitzpatrick is an American actor and co-director of the Marlborough Chelsea gallery. He is best known as Telly in ''Kids'' (1995) and Johnny Weeks in ''The Wire'' (2002–2004). Career He was discovered at age 14 by d ...

Daniel Franzese Daniel Franzese (born May 9, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, and activist best known for his roles in director Larry Clark's ''Bully'' and as Damian in Tina Fey's 2004 feature film ''Mean Girls''. Franzese is the creator of several live come ...

, Kelli Garner, and

Nick Stahl Nicolas Kent Stahl (born December 5, 1979) is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film ''The Man Without a Face'', co-starring Mel Gibson. He later transitioned into his adult ...

. Its plot follows a group of teenagers in

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

who enact a murder plot against their mutual bully who has emotionally, physically, and sexually abused them for years. The film is based on the murder of Bobby Kent, and its screenplay was adapted by David McKenna (under the pseudonym Zachary Long) and Roger Pullis from the book ''Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge'' by Jim Schutze. Filming took place in southern Florida in the summer of 2000. ''Bully'' was given a limited release in the United States on July 14, 2001, and met with mixed critical responses, though many critics noted the film's disturbing and straightforward handling of youth crime and murder.

Plot

high school dropouts Ali Willis (

) and Lisa Connelly ( Rachel Miner) befriend

Bobby Kent Bobby Kent (né Khayam; May 12, 1973 – July 14, 1993) was an Iranian-American man who was murdered by seven people, including his best friend, Martin Joseph "Marty" Puccio, Jr (born March 21, 1973). in Weston, Florida. The murder would be ada ...

(

) and Marty Puccio ( Brad Renfro), employees at a local deli. The four all go out on a double date. Later that evening, in Bobby's parked car, Ali performs oral sex on Bobby, while Lisa and Marty have sex in the back seat. Lisa later learns she is pregnant, but is afraid that the child is Bobby's instead of Marty's, since Bobby raped her after beating Marty unconscious. Bobby emotionally and physically abuses Marty, who puts up with his violent tendencies. On one occasion, Bobby rapes Ali while trying to force her to watch gay male pornography with him. Lisa later tells Marty that everyone suspects Bobby is attracted to him. Marty reveals to Lisa that the abuse has been going on since they were boys, starting with Marty taking drugs at an early age, which Marty thinks that Bobby has been using to take advantage of him. Marty and Bobby later go to a gay bar, where Marty is told to strip down to his underwear and dance for money, while Bobby takes pleasure in his humiliation. Lisa eventually proposes that the group murder Bobby. Ali recruits her new boyfriend, the pot-smoking and

acid In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...

-dropping Donny ( Michael Pitt), and his troubled friend, Heather Swallers ( Kelli Garner), who has recently been released from rehab; Lisa recruits her cousin, the shy and nerdy Derek Dzvirko (

). They initially plan to kill Bobby with a gun stolen from Lisa's mother. Ali and Lisa take Bobby to the

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical climate, tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orland ...

, with the plan that Lisa will shoot him while he has sex with Ali, but Lisa finds herself unable to do it. Realizing they need help, the group hire a supposed "hitman", Derek Kaufman (

), a friend of Ali's who is in actuality a tough-talking young man several years older than them. With Kaufman's help, they orchestrate a new plan: they all drive to a remote canal, where Ali again lures Bobby with sex. Heather haphazardly initiates a signal to begin the murder, and Donny stabs Bobby in the back of the neck. Horrified by the violence, Ali, Heather, and Dzvirko run back to Ali's car. Bobby begs for mercy, but Marty stabs him in the stomach,

disemboweling Disembowelment or evisceration is the removal of some or all of the organ (anatomy), organs of the Human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal tract (the bowels, or viscera), usually through a horizontal incision made across the Abdomen, abdo ...

him, before slitting his throat. Kaufman proceeds to bludgeon Bobby with a baseball bat. Lisa witnesses it all, never turning away. They dump Bobby in the swamp, and presume alligators will consume his corpse. Marty later realizes that he left the sheath to his diving knife at the canal. They go to retrieve the sheath, and check on the corpse, which is now being eaten by crabs. Lisa, Dzvirko, Ali, and Heather do not believe they did anything wrong, since they did not directly participate in Bobby's actual death. Lisa decides to dispose of the knife, which is the only evidence linking them to the crime. Unable to maintain the secret, Dzvirko and Lisa reveal to their other friends what they've done, while Ali phones in an anonymous tip to the media, alerting them to Bobby's death. Lisa calls Kaufman and speaks to his younger brother, who says that Kaufman has already been arrested for the murder. Eventually, all the teenagers turn themselves in, with the exception of Marty, who is subsequently arrested. Some time later, the group appear in court, wearing prison jumpsuits, with Lisa visibly pregnant by this time. Marty and Donny begin to argue, leading the others to join in as they each respectively deny their culpability in front of an onlooking courtroom. Title cards reveal their convictions: Derek Kaufman, Donny, and Lisa receive life sentences, Ali receives 40 years, Derek Dzvirko receives 11 years, Heather receives 7 years, and Marty is sentenced to death.

Cast

Production

Basis

The film is based on the July 14, 1993 murder of Bobby Kent at a remote area in Weston, Florida, south of Alligator Alley. Four of the convicted teens, known as the ''Broward County Seven'', were released after serving brief prison terms. Only three are still serving prison sentences as of May, 2022. The book, ''Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge'' by Jim Schutze was released in 1998. The film includes two title cards that reveal how several of the perpetrators appealed their sentences and the results of those actions. The actual co-perpetrators of the murder were convicted and sentenced as follows: * Martin Joseph "Marty" Puccio Jr. - First-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Sentenced to death by electrocution on July 27, 1995; commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years on November 20, 1997. Currently incarcerated at the Desoto Annex in

Arcadia, Florida Arcadia is a city and county seat of DeSoto County, Florida, United States. Its population was 7,637 as of the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 7,722 in 2014. Arcadia's Historic District is listed on the National Register of Histor ...

. * Heather June Swallers - Second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment on May 12, 1995; she received a lighter sentence than the others because, unlike Derek Dzvirko, she did not attempt to lie on the witness stand. Released February 14, 1998. * Derek George Dzvirko - Second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. He was originally sentenced to seven years' imprisonment on May 12, 1995, but received four extra years for trying to lie on the witness stand. Released October 1, 1999. * Alice Jean "Ali" Willis (aka Alice Jean Chapman, Alice Jean Slay) - Second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder. Sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment on May 19, 1995; reduced on appeal to 17 years for the murder charge and 15 years for the conspiracy charge. Released on Supervised Probation September 16, 2001 (the movie notes she will be under those probationary terms for 40 years). Currently residing in Belpre, Ohio. Probation set to terminate September 15, 2041. * Donald Daniel "Donny" Semenec Jr. - Second-degree murder. Sentenced to life in prison on May 17, 1995. Two weeks after his conviction in the murder of Bobby Kent, Donny received another 14-month sentence for bringing drugs into jail and cocaine possession stemming from a 1994 case. Currently incarcerated at the Lake Correctional Institution in Clermont, Florida. * Derek Leon Kaufman - First-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Sentenced to life plus 30 years' imprisonment on June 12, 1995. On November 15, 1994, Kaufman received a 30-month sentence for trafficking in stolen property, stemming from a February 1993 case. , he is incarcerated at the Mayo Correctional Institution in

Mayo, Florida Mayo, Florida is a town and the only municipality in Lafayette County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,237 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lafayette County. In August 2018, Mayo temporarily changed its name to Miracle W ...

. * Lisa Marie Connelly - Second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit aggravated

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

with a deadly weapon. Sentenced to life plus five years' imprisonment on July 21, 1995; reduced on appeal to 22 years. Released on February 3, 2004. Lisa delivered her and Puccio's daughter in the Broward County Jail during her incarceration.

Casting

said he had a hard time acquiring the funding for this movie but with the up-and-coming

in the leading female role, the financiers finally agreed. Despite this, he stated in a 2016 podcast that he has little to no respect for Phillips, saying "Everybody was fucking her and I just found it disgusting, man. And the first time I met her, she came to me in this club and sat down next to me, put her arm around me, took my cigarette out of my mouth and started smoking it. And she started talking to me, hugging me and kinda feeling me up. She hadn't acted, but that name - because she was in the paper every day for being a club kid and doing nothing - that name got us the money to get financed."

Filming

Principal photography of ''Bully'' began August 21, 2000, in southern Florida.

Critical reception

''Bully'' received mixed reviews from critics and has a "Rotten" rating of 55% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 91 reviews with an average score of 5.8 out of 10. The critical consensus states "With its lingering shots of naked teenage bodies, ''Bully'' feels more sordidly exploitative than realistic." The film holds a score of 45 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 26 critics indicating 'Mixed or average reviews'.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

was one of the film's notable admirers and gave the film four out of four stars and stated in his review "Larry Clark's ''Bully'' calls the bluff of movies that pretend to be about murder but are really about entertainment. His film has all the sadness and shabbiness, all the mess and cruelty and thoughtless stupidity of the real thing...If the director doesn't have a strong personal feeling about material like this, he shouldn't be making movies about it...Clark is not some objectified, outside adult observer making an after-school special, but an artist who has made a leap into this teenage mindscape...I believe ''Bully'' is a masterpiece on its own terms, a frightening indictment of a society that offers absolutely nothing to some of its children—and an indictment of the children, who lack the imagination and courage to try to escape. Bobby and his killers deserve one another."

(July 20, 2001)
"Bully"

Accolades

Home media

The film was released in DVD on January 29, 2002.

Soundtrack

JT Money Jeffrey Jermaine Thompkins (born September 14, 1972), known by his stage name JT Money, is an American rapper and the leader of Miami-based hip hop group Poison Clan. Thompkins began his career in the late 1980s as a protégé of Luther "Luke" ...

feat. Solé: "

Who Dat Who Dat (AAVE for "who is that?") can mean: * Who Dat?, the name of a support chant by fans of the New Orleans Saints * Who Dat (J. Cole song), "Who Dat" (J. Cole song) * Who Dat (JT Money song), "Who Dat" (JT Money song) * Who Dat (Young Jeezy son ...

" * Tha Dogg Pound: "We About to Get Fucc'd Up" * Ghetto Inmates: "Thug Ass Bitch" * Atomic Babies: "Cetch Da Monkey" * Tha Dogg Pound: "Coastin" * Bomber: "Joyride" * Rinka: "Boots Sex Dread" * Tricky: "Excess" *

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

feat.

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

: " Forgot About Dre" *

Sen Dog Senen Reyes (born November 22, 1965), also known by his stage name Sen Dog, is a Cuban-American rapper and musician who is best known as a member of the rap group Cypress Hill and as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Powerflo. He has be ...

and DJ FM: "Latin Thug" * Smut Peddlers feat.

R.A. the Rugged Man R.A. Thorburn, better known by his stage name R.A. the Rugged Man, is an American rapper and producer. He began his music career at age 12, building a reputation locally for his lyrical skills. Thorburn signed with major label Jive Records at a ...

: "Bottom Feeders" * Cage: "Suicidal Failure" * Scott Grusin and John Caruso: "Bully's Beauties" * Quark: "Je T'ai Oublié" * Shawty: "Who Ya Callin' Country" * Tha Dogg Pound: "Work Dat Pussy" * FOG: "By This Axe We Rule" taken from "Through The Eyes of Night..." WWII MUSIC under license from Dark Horizon Records * Ol' Dirty Bastard: "Last Call" *

Bizzy Bone Bryon Anthony McCane II (born September 12, 1976),Whitburn, Joel (2008) ''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2006'', Record Research, , p. 97 better known by his stage name Bizzy Bone, is an American rapper, singer and the youngest member o ...

: "Jesus" *

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide and have multi-platinum and platinum albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast and 1990 ...

: "When the Shit Goes Down" * Thurston Moore: "Bully Murder Scene" *

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...

: " Song for Shelter ( Talking 'Bout My Baby)" * Tricky: "Bury the Evidence" *

Zoe Poledouris Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for "life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broadcast ...

: "Unloved: The Decision" * Zoe Poledouris and Jerome Dillon: "Window: Lisa Wakes" * Zoe Poledouris and Jerome Dillon: "Window: It's Bobby" * Zoe Poledouris and Jerome Dillon: "Window: Gun One" * Zoe Poledouris and Jerome Dillon: "Window: Heather's Story"

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bully 2001 films 2001 crime drama films 2001 crime thriller films 2001 independent films 2001 LGBT-related films 2001 psychological thriller films 2001 thriller drama films 2000s psychological drama films 2000s teen drama films American crime drama films American crime thriller films American films about revenge American independent films American LGBT-related films American psychological drama films American psychological thriller films American teen drama films American thriller drama films Crime films based on actual events Drama films based on actual events 2000s English-language films Film4 Productions films Films about bullying Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Larry Clark Films set in 1993 Films set in Florida Films shot in Florida Films shot in Los Angeles French crime drama films French crime thriller films English-language French films French films about revenge French independent films French LGBT-related films French psychological drama films French psychological thriller films French teen drama films French thriller drama films Juvenile sexuality in films LGBT-related films based on actual events LGBT-related thriller drama films Lionsgate films StudioCanal films Teen crime films Teen thriller films Teensploitation Thriller films based on actual events Films produced by Don Murphy 2000s American films 2000s French films