'Bully' Doc Gets PG-Rating in Canada, Despite MPAA's R-Rating Stateside

TORONTO - The Lee Hirsch documentary Bully, given an R-rating stateside by the MPAA, has received an all-clear from British Columbia film censors.

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Local distributor Alliance Films on Tuesday received a PG-rating for the controversial film about bullying among school-age kids from Consumer Protection B.C.

“Last night, I learned of the B.C. board’s decision to grant Bully a PG-rating. I am thrilled that kids of all ages can now join their parents, teachers, social work advocates and leaders to bring about change for this deeply important cause,” Hirsch said Wednesday in a statement.

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Parental guidance is advised for the documentary in the western Canadian province, and the film comes with a warning of “coarse language; theme of bullying.”

But local authorities slapped no age restriction on Bully ahead of the film's April 6 theatrical release nationwide.

The first rating for Bully came in British Columbia because Candian film censoring is done by individual provinces.

Alliance Films in its own statement said the parental guidance rating in British Columbia, following the U.S. R-rating from the MPAA, “reinforces the movie’s message that bullying must be urgently addressed with great care and consideration.”