Mike Fleming

Bully Rating MPAABased on the reviews I’ve read of the documentary Bully, the MPAA’s decision to uphold an R rating that excludes the target audience seems one of the ratings board’s more absurd judgements. Releasing unrated is a gamble, and The Weinstein Co co-chairman Harvey Weinstein and his team tried to stack their odds by taking to Twitter, and the response was resounding. They’ve reached over 105 million followers from individual tweets and another 10 million from organizations. Among the celebs who’ve participated in tweeting the film are: Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson, Mariah Carey, Jonah Hill, Katy Perry, Piers Morgan, Joel McHale, Jimmy Fallon, Ryan Seacrest, Kristen Bell, Ricky Martin, Arianna Huffington, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Kate Bosworth, Kerry Washington, Brad Wollack, Rachel Zoe, Hugh Jackman, Rosie O’Donnell, Chelsea Handler, Khloe Kardashian Odom, Kim Kardashian, Paula Abdul, Kathy Griffin, Jeri Ryan, Jay Manuel, Alyssa Milano, Mandy Moore, Victoria Justice, Aisha Tyler, Lisa Gastineau, James Hirsen, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jason Kennedy, Guiliana Rancic, Anderson Cooper, Lisa Rinna, La La…, Erin Andrews, Channing Tatum, Randy Jackson, Sela Ward, Beverly Mitchell, Brandon Hilton, and Emmy Rossum. Said Weinstein: “We couldn’t ask for more from our supporters and partners in the digital marketplace who are using their most powerful tool — their voices — to stand up to bullying. Our partners at Bing and Twitter set perfect examples of how social media can and should be used for a great cause like this one.”

Related: ‘Bully’ Director Lee Hirsch Calls Ratings System “Broken”