Bully, Brad & Bijou
Tuesday, August 28, 2018 at 7:57PM by Nathaniel R
Remember Larry Clark? He was one of the chief provocateurs of American indies of the 90s and early Aughts who first broke through with the controversial and popular youth drama Kids (1995). One would assume no one would be eager to revisit his filmography at this point in time given that people are more riled up than usual about sex scenes, the male gaze, and actors placed in sexually compromising positions. But surprise -- local rep house The Metrograph just held a Larry Clark retrospective.
A friend wanted to see Bully (2001) so I went along, solely because it's so rare that it's someone else and not me who is all "let's see this movie!". Though the themes were familiar (sex, drugs, dead end lives, and 'the kids are not all right' amorality), as was the leering camera, I'd forgotten nearly everything else about it other than that I had preferred it to Kids (1995), which I just couldn't stomach at the time...
Rachel Miner and Bijou Phillips in "Bully"
one of the infamous crotch shots, Bijou actually moves her crotch directly in to the camera as she moves from the back seat to front seat of a car.Larry Clark was on hand for the screening and much to the crowds surprise he used his meandering intro to repeatedly slam one of his stars Bijou Phillips. He thinks Bully is one of his best films and he praised the then-young cast and said they were all total professionals except for her. And that though she won good reviews anything worthwhile in the performance is his fault. He claims to have spent 90% of his time on set directing her, and 10% on everyone else, since 'she was terrible.'
I've never before heard a director slam one of his stars while holding a mic! I felt bad for her only to recall that the last time I heard her name was because of allegations from Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls) about her own homophobic bullying behavior on the set of this very movie. Phillips hasn't been acting for some years now and Clark also rarely directs anymore so I guess nobody is worried about burning bridges.
As for the movie itself, it was stronger than I'd remembered, if still nausea-inducing and not just for the violent act at the center of the true story. Its sense of humor (I didn't remember that it'd had one!) was as brutal and humiliating to these characters as they all were to each other. But I hadn't remembered at all how strong some of the performances were, especially Brad Renfro as the abused friend turned killer, and a hilariously stoned Michael Pitt who generated big laughs despite the grim proceedings. The movie's homoeroticism was particularly queasy given the coy suggestion (coy since everything else about the movie is in-your-face) that Bobby (Nick Stahl), the titular character with a thing for making his friend's watch gay porn, may have also been raping Marty (Brad Renfro) in addition to all the other physical and psychological abuse he's heaped on him over the years.
My biggest takeaway from the film was the sadness (all over again) of losing Brad Renfro (RIP) and Nick Stahl (still with us but not working much) from the screen. They were two of the most promising young actors of the 1990s and drugs undid both of their careers. Unexpectedly it was the tertiary actors here that went on to have healthy if non-flashy careers: Kelli Garner, memorable as a blue-haired rehab escapee, and Daniel Franzese, as a local kid roped into participating in the crimes by the girls he's hot for, Lisa (Rachel Miner) and Ali (Bijou). They're both still popping up regularly in various TV and film projects.
Have you ever seen this movie? Do you have any strong memory of Larry Clark's oeuvre?
Reader Comments (16)
Never seen any of Larry's films.
I really, really liked this movie when I was young. Lol. I’ve been really afraid to revisit it as an adult.
Brad Renfro’s death is still very sad. :(
Oh, yes! I loved Kids so I watched this one and Ken Park when they came out.
I haven’t seen this since I was 12 but I was an actresssexual even then - I remember being enamored by Bijou Phillips (sad to hear of her behavior) and Kelli Garner (someone cast her in something).
I liked this movie a lot. I also saw Ken Park, which laid the sensationalism on way too thick. I was also surprised to find out that the psycho boy with the jaw-dropping cock whose graphic autoerottic masturbation scene is quite something (and who eventually murders his grandparents) is none other than Sean Baker regular James Ransone!
I've seen the film. I have mixed feelings about it as I had a few issues with Renfro playing the victim as I thought he would be better as the bully yet Nick Stahl was incredible and scary as the bully. It had some good moments but some of it was just fucked up. Back then, I was excited in seeing a nude Bijou Phillips but now in my late 30s. I'm not comfortable about seeing her crotch in that kind of close-up as I wonder if that was really necessary. If I was a filmmaker making a film like that, I wouldn't do a close-up of a young woman's crotch like that with or without her consent. It just feels wrong.
If I was a filmmaker making a film like that, I wouldn't do a close-up of a young woman's crotch like that with or without her consent. It just feels wrong.
Paul Verhoeven blocked a scene in Total Recall where Sharon Stone is punched and lands ass first into the frame. I like the perverseness of it.
Yes, have seen it - it’s a very strong film, and yeah it’s such a shame about Renfro, he was very good in this.
That "leering camera" has always been my biggest issue with Clark's films. I remember thinking how strong this film could've been (the young cast is pretty damn amazing) if I didn't feel so icky watching it. Maybe that's the point, but all of his films feel awfully self-serving...
I remember being very impressed by Ken Park, but feeling that the explicit sex scenes were really distracting. It turned the perception of the film to "that movie where young actors have graphic, unsimulated sex", whereas the fact it is actually a goof film went nearly unnoticed (case in point: ken s' comment on this thread).
I remember REALLY liking Bully when I saw it in college. Renfro and Stahl were great, and everyone seemed like they just picked them up off the street, in a good way. Very natural. And I thought the sensationalism was appropriate to the true story on some level. I haven't seen it since, though, and I wonder how I would feel about it now, especially the homoerotic subtextual stuff, since at the time I was just happy it was there lol.
Larry Clark to me is one of the best American director period Kids and Bully are the most painfully real despiction of being a teen in America at the end of the 20th century American movies are never so raw and then there's Harmony Korine can we talk about him?
All of Larry Clark's film are brilliant. Especially THE SMELL OF US, IMPALED & JONATHAN. MARFA GIRL on the other hand.....is lame.
Ken S -- Honey, that's not a jaw-dropping cock at all!
My memory of BULLY is loving it and hating it. I'm not sure which is more accurate. I suspect I may be kinder these days to the things I didn't like and harsher towards other elements such as the Bijou Philips crotch shot, which I thought was gross even then for beyond the obvious. I remember a particularly brilliant use of Fatboy Slim's "Song for Shelter".
It's true that I enjoy watching Larry Clark films. But not because he's a genius. Not because he's a great director. Not because he has vision. Because he's none of those things. It's because he packages cheap smut as artistic fare. Nothing visionary or ground breaking here. His movies are for those of us who enjoy getting a flash or peek at pussy, cock and ass without having to rent or buy a porno movie. Then we justify watching it by saying it's artistic, daring, and ground breaking. No, nothing more daring here than anything that can be seen in a run-of-the mill porn movie. But it's just made a little more titillating by having the film look mainstream, then suddenly we see genitalia that we didn't expect. It's a process and formula that works for Larry Clark. He produces a n average or even less than average script, but sprinkles in a few unexpected shots of closeups of private parts that make it stand out. Yes, I know it's crap. I know it's not a great or even good movie, but I still like being shocked and surprised. Just like a lot of other people. For those that praise him for being innovative, or a master, or great, all I can say is that some people are impressed much easier than the rest of us.