SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Steineded How sad is this?

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

benghill Though I did find this movie fun and some of the characters lovable, this movie did not meet my expectations. The movie centers around Cory, a 12 year old boy who moves to a new town after his father loses his job. At his new school, Cory is bullied by his classmates, as new kids often are. They steal his lunch and squirt him with a water gun, but don't seem to cause any physical harm. Cory does not stand up for himself or tell his teacher. Instead he decides to scare the bullies with a lie that ends up almost killing his father. The bullies all become Cory's friends out of fear that his father will kill them. Cory would rather have friends who hang out with him because they are scared of him, then try to find people who like him for who he is. They all seem to like Cory after a while, as none of the bullies were actually mean people. They were just doing some new kid hazing or something. Eventually, some real mobsters take Cory's father. Cory reveals the truth to his friends, who are not at all mad at him for threatening their lives. They help him rescue his father, instead of calling the police. At the end of the movie everyone is safe, Cory has a lot of friends, and he does not suffer any consequences for his actions.The title of this movie is misleading. A lot of it is not even about bullying, but about the dangers of lying. Cory also seems to bully the other kids way more than they bully him, even if it is in self-defense.What lesson is this movie trying to teach us? It does not teach us to stand up for ourselves or ever go to adults for help. It doesn't teach us that bullying is wrong or any realistic way to deal with bullying. It basically makes bullying seem like a joke. The message appears to be that spreading rumors is an effective way to make friends and stop bullying and will not have any consequences. This is fine for a stupid kids movie, but nothing in this movie can be applied to real life.

Ira Heffler Indie films tend to be either high concept or character driven with lots of angst. It's so refreshing to see this indie film – a family comedy. And it's well executed.It's even more refreshing to see the serious subject of bullying tackled in a humorous yet satisfying way. The story line is clever… and the whole movie works.It's well shot and well acted. The parents do a terrific job, and the kids are infectious.How to Beat a Bully is a well-made movie that tackles a very real social problem… that has a good moral… and that's enjoyable and fun to watch!

Erica Simonsen I found out about this movie when the writer and executive producer, Marilyn Anderson, posted about the movie in a film industry Facebook group I am also a member of. I knew my son would enjoy it because of the type of film it was regarded to be similar in style to, but I thought I would be groaning silently to myself as I have with other movies he has watched.This was further from the truth. Not only was my son laughing out loud, my husband and I found ourselves genuinely laughing along with him. The actors were great in line delivery without over acting to make the movie cheesy. This is the type of movie we would pay to see in movie theaters. My son has already watched this two more times today since our first viewing last night and as we have 5 more days of rental (Thanks, Amazon!) we will be sure to see it at least a dozen more times this week. Needless to say, when the DVD comes out, we will be purchasing a copy. I highly recommend this to everyone, whether you have kids or not.

Mark Thornton I'll admit, this isn't the kind of movie I normally watch, but I ended up really enjoying it. It takes on the subject of bullying without being preachy. I feel like the film makers really added a fresh perspective, and the final product is top tier. This really is one the whole family can enjoy. Kids will get the jokes, and there's enough humor in there with a wink and a nudge that the grown- ups will enjoy, too. The premise of the movie itself is hilarious, and the writing never fails to deliver the laughs. And smart casting choices meant that the actors can actually pull off the punch lines! Perfect for a rainy evening in with the whole family.