How to Beat a Bully

It’s refreshing to see the serious subject of bullying tackled in a humorous yet satisfying way. The story line is clever… and the whole movie works. It’s well shot and well acted. The parents do a terrific job, and the kids are infectious. How to Beat a Bully is a well-made movie that tackles a very real social problem… that has a good moral… and that’s enjoyable and fun to watch! As both a parent and an educator, I highly recommend this film!

This movie was actually very cute. It had lots of surprises and was creative and different. The family in it was very likable and the dialog was clever and fun. The opening about a boy not wanting to move is a real issue and bullying is a real issue. But here it is done with entertainment value instead of making it sad or shocking. There are lots of funny scenes, and the kids in it are great little actors. The father is fun and quirky and his relationship with the son is sweet. The teacher is the only one who is a bit over-the-top. But otherwise, it is refreshing to see a comedy that touches on a serious subject but does it in a way that isn't so heavy-handed. There were funny jokes and also some touching moments like when the father tells the son that words can be just as dangerous as fists. I watched it online with my kids on a rainy afternoon. They laughed out loud when the kids in the movie caught the comic gangsters and I found myself laughing at many of the lines, too. There are no known stars in this, but overall it was enjoyable and conveys a positive message, even though it's not really a message movie.

I liked this film very much! It's funny and it's cute. I have read the reviews on this site for this film and I whole heatedly disagree with the woman who lambasted this fine film. No, it's not War and Peace. It's a fun and entertaining kids film. It's pretty obvious it's not meant to be Romeo and Juliette. It's a humorous and engaging look at the very serious topic of bullying. I thought the characters were great. They came across as fun. They had 3 dimensional personalities and real problems that needed solving, like moving to a new place, or fitting in. And it had important things to say. This story can show kids who are victims of bullying how to take alternative approaches to social morays that seem to be more difficult today than when I was a child. I was bullied. I didn't like it. And while the suggested plan in this film is beyond what i would have done to deal with bullying, it's an option that surely beats shootings, explosions, or the violent crimes to which bullying has been linked. The directing is not sophomoric as asserted in another review, but instead it is sometimes campy and sometimes insightful. The acting is no worse than any Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, or After School Special film. (Do they even still have After School Specials?) This might show how old I am. Look, I liked this film! I saw it at a popular screening room as part of a movie club to which we belong and I saw it again when Amazon emailed me that I was able to stream it. Sometimes I want something serious and heavy, or thought provoking and meaningful, but there are other times when I just want to watch something fun. Like Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Kung Fu Panda, Dispicable Me, or How To Beat A Bully. It's fun and it's totally worth watching!