Tact is for wienies

thedailywhat:

Bully of the Day: The MPAA today rejected the Weinstein Company’s request to reduce the rating of their bullying documentary from an R to a PG-13.

The rating, given for language, was reportedly upheld by a single vote.

Harvey Weinstein had hoped Bully could be used as an educational tool for teachers looking to augment existing anti-bullying lesson plans. However, the ruling may restrict the showing of the film in certain schools, as it prohibits viewing by children under 17 years of age without a parent or adult guardian present.

As a result, Weinstein Co. released a statement saying it “is considering a leave of absence from the MPAA for the foreseeable future.”

The MPAA followed up with their own statement, saying that while they agree that Bully “can serve as a vehicle” for discussions about bullying, the association “has the responsibility…to acknowledge and represent the strong feedback from parents throughout the country who want to be informed about content in movies, including language.”

It remains unclear if Weinstein intends to follow through with his threat, but, as Deadline points out, due to “longstanding though nonbinding agreement between exhibitors and the MPAA,” unrated films have a much tougher time getting shown in theaters than R-rated films.

[deadline.]