Contest

This film devotes itself to a series of increasingly unbelievable escalations that are more about out-of-school criminal behavior than about school-bully problems. The theme is endearing, but the delivery is way, way off-topic. Worse, a fair amount of this movie seems almost comedic, which makes it hard to be sure sometimes just whom to feel sorry for.

The script was hard to follow and the direction literally seemed to leave out moments that one had to infer or guess at. Our twelve-year-old son kept asking questions that started with, "Wait! Why did he just say...?" An amazing number of characters are played by actors who look rather a lot like each other, too, so it wasn't always even clear who was whom.

Overall, this wasn't really a story about bullying. It seemed more like an episode of one of those cookie-cutter Disney Channel shows that all seem to star the same adolescent kids, with an unconvincing set of problems dealt with by absurd solutions, all coming together in a silly ending.

If you're looking for a way to connect with your child about this topic, I really would stay away from this one. It unintentionally makes light of a serious issue, and confuses the phenomenon of bullying with complex (and over-the-top) criminal conspiracies. If you even suggest to your child that bullying is similar in school to what it is in this movie, expect to hear the words, "You just don't get it."

Good family movie about bullying in high school. The cast of young folk all were great! It plays like an after school special, which in my mind is a good thing. I still remember the ones I was shown as a kid in the 70's and 80's. One thing that stood out to me was the lack of a mean girl focus. These kinds of story lines seem to leave the boy friendships in the background and focus on the girls.

Most impressed with the soundtrack. Katherine McNamara, Kenton Duty, And Daniel Flaherty all have amazing songs! Daniel sounds like a young Bob Dylan and Katherine's voice is beautiful and I understand she co-wrote the song.

High school student Tommy (Daniel Flaherty) is bullied by Matt (Kenton Duty). He's laughed at by all the kids. He lives with his Gran (Mary Beth Peil) and works at her pizzeria. He overhears the landlord wanting to level the whole block around the pizzeria but Gran would have the first right to buy. He decides to enter a cooking contest to save the place. Meanwhile, Matt is facing suspension and even expulsion for the bullying. He is given a special deal to be an anti-bullying advocate. He is convinced to assist Tommy in his contest and then sabotage it by his brother Kyle although Kyle has reasons of his own. Kyle is part of the property deal to level the pizzeria. Tommy has a crush on Sarah O'Malley (Katherine McNamara).

The production is limited indie. There are some solid actors in the cast. Aside from the minor roles played by amateurs, the main cast is experienced. While I appreciate the attempted story, the writing is ragged and there are some badly written turns. The dialogue and the flow need a few more passes. Mostly, the directing is amateurish. Anthony Joseph Giunta doesn't have much experience and it shows on the screen. It's a fair debut effort but it does not inspire confidence in future endeavors.

I believe this was shown on Cartoon Network in the USA and its aimed at the tweenage audience that the Disney channels do well aiming at.

Tommy seems to be a perennial bullying victim at High School but his tormentor Matt under the threat of suspension befriends him and joins him to enter a cooking contest where Tommy could earn enough money to save his grandmother's pizza shop.

Matt's brother Kyle is cooking a deal where the pizza shop is part of a redevelopment plan and gets his brother, Matt to sabotage the competition. However it seems Matt and Tommy might have bonded but Tommy's friend Sarah is suspicious.

The is a lot of double dealing going on in the plot and some of the characters are flawed so its not all black and white but my word this film is giving mixed messages.

The High School needs to be closed down given how much bullying goes on there, it needed to build its own hospital wing to treat its victims.

At the end of the film one of the characters who has cynically sabotaged, hurt people, manipulated people seemed to have faced no consequences of his actions. A strange outcome for film with an anti bullying message.

Some of the acting is fine, some of its broad. Its a low budget film but the script lacks polish and it would had been more focused if he Disney channel had made it.

I saw this film at the Mill Valley Film Festival and loved it. It's well-crafted and well-acted, and I think kids will actually enjoy watching it. I say this as someone who works with kids as a librarian in a K-8 school. It has all the components: appealing characters, dramatic moments, and a satisfying conclusion. All in all, a very nice story arc that will hold the viewers' interest and leave the door open for discussion. The movie's greatest strength was in the way the relationship between the three leads developed over time. It provided a more nuanced view of bullying, taking into account that the bully is usually someone who has been bullied himself. The cast of young actors were all appealing and talented. I imagine we'll be seeing more of them. The sound track is also excellent. After watching so many mindless (or violent) films for kids, it's refreshing to watch something that succeeds in getting a positive message across without being didactic or clichéd.