"Bully," a documentary about teen bullying in America looked at through five families, will open Friday at two theaters in San Francisco, and, after a protracted fight with the Motion Picture Assn. of America, it will sport a PG-13 rating.
The MPAA originally slapped an R-rating on the movie for profanity, which would have shut out teenagers, a major part of the film's intended audience. The Weinstein Co. threatened to release the film without a rating if the MPAA wouldn't alter its stance.
The MPAA was widely criticized for being intractable, and a petition on Change.org for a lower rating garnered 500,000 signatures, according to ABC News.
In the end, producers agreed to removed three utterances of the "F-word" in exchange for the lower rating. Still, the subject matter will no doubt make for a raw and emotional film.
Schools in South San Francisco have been taking on bullying through and , and the district passed an anti-bullying policy in March.
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If you're interested in seeing "Bully," click here for showtimes.
