Inclubabu
Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.
Exoticalot
People are voting emotionally.
Beystiman
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Allissa
.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Artistsoul1
This movie was really well done! It's timely and great! Very important subject matter!
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.
biased_perspective
This is quite possibly one of the top ten worst movies I have ever seen. The acting, especially by the dad, is absolutely horrific. But my 7 & 11 year old thought it was good (not great). My wife and I cringed so many times that when I started counting after 30 minutes, I lost track by the end of the movie. I cannot believe the high reviews which is why we watched it in the first place. A very LOW budget film. The plot is bad. The acting is bad. The directing is bad. It really is bad. The message in the end, however, is good. And while the pieces fall together, I will add these things. But like I said, my youngest, who laughs when she farts said she thought it was good.
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!