Cyberbully
Network: ABC Family
Original Air Date: July 17, 2011
CAST:
Emily Osment ... Taylor Hillridge
Kelly Rowan ... (Taylor's Mom) Kris Hillridge
Kay Panabaker ... Samantha Caldone
Jon McLaren ... Scott Ozsik
Meaghan Rath ... Cheyenne Mortenson
Jade Hassouné ... Caleb
Nastassia Markiewicz ... Lindsay Fordyce
Robert Naylor ... Eric Hillridge
Caroline Redekopp ... Karen Caldone
Ronda Louis-Jeune ... Becca
PLOT:
ABC Family's two-hour original movie, "Cyberbully," follows Taylor Hillridge (Osment), a teenage girl who falls victim to online bullying, and the cost it nearly takes on her and her family. Taylor is a pretty 17-year-old high school student but a little awkward, and painfully aware of it. When her mom gives her a computer for her birthday, Taylor is excited by the prospect of freedom and the independence of going online without her mother always looking over her shoulder. However, Taylor soon finds herself the victim of betrayal and bullying while visiting a social website, and afraid to face her peers at school, including her best friend (Panabaker), she is pushed to a breaking point. It's only after this life-changing event that Taylor learns that she is not alone - meeting other teens, including a classmate, who have had similar experiences. Taylor's mom, Kris (Rowan), reels from the incident and takes on the school system and state legislation to help prevent others from going through the same harrowing ordeal as her daughter.
"Cyberbully" was written by Teena Booth and directed by Charles Binamé. Executive producers are Michael Prupas and Joel Rice.
MUSIC:
Emily Osment single “Drift” premieres in the ABC Family Original Movie “Cyberbully.”
Listen to it, here.
Movie Review:
Emily Osment reminds me of Reese Witherspoon and my best friend, back in high school (just a few, (gulping), years ago!). Emily is such a sweet girl, best known for her wholesome Disney image and role as Lilly, on Hannah Montana - which I guess is why this movie is all the more intriguing.
My thoughts after watching...
Wow! This movie was extremely intense and powerful. I'm hoping it has opened the eyes of many young people and parents. Bullying is real in person and on-line.
Parents should always beware of any social-networking site that a child/teen is active in.
I found this movie to be very realistic for all of the first part. Taylor Hillridge (Osment), is totally attacked on-line and called horrible names. Classmates and total strangers are rude, mean, and relentless in spreading terrible lies. There is a lot of typing back and forth on their computers, etc... and it's difficult sometimes to catch it all - but lots of cursing and slang lingo was used to stereotype Taylor as being - well,... a slut. Which, she isn't.
This movie is definitely not for younger viewers. Mature Pre-teens and Teenagers need to see this show - to hopefully prevent further bullying and warn them against potential dangers online. Taylor learns that two people who have injured her the most on-line are actually people she thought she could trust - first, her brother and then, her supposed best friend, Samantha.
The part I didn't find to be truly realistic... After Samantha betrayed Taylor and bullied her almost to the point of taking her life, Taylor learns what her friend did and eventually forgives Samantha, choosing to be her friend again. She states that it may not be in the same way (well, duh?) - but, I personally don't know how she could ever trust her again. Forgiveness is one thing, but actually being her friend again was unrealistic for me. They also confront the bullies at school together - in the lunchroom and other students stand up and support them. The bullies eventually just walk out - acting defeated. Would that happen in real life? - most likely not.
Overall, however, there is a good message in this movie. Taylor's mother is very sweet and somewhat overprotective, yet this attack came upon her daughter so quickly, she couldn't prevent the emotional turmoil it caused in Taylor. She does her best to help her daughter - telling Taylor her life is precious and eventually she takes her to a support group. It was good for Taylor and others to learn and understand that they are not alone in this.
See or Skip:
See... especially Parents and Tweens/Teens who are on Social Networking Sites.
Skip... for Young Viewers and Family Movie Night!
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| *Emily Osment at the ABC Family Premiere of Cyberbully. |
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I cant wait to see this movie it sounds like its a great movie plus emily osment is an amazing actress and so is kay panabaker.
ReplyDeleteOhmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh I am SO glad that ABC Family is doing this. Cyberbullying is a huge deal right now, and I hope that it can be stopped soon.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see this movie. I wonder what her breaking point is ? :)
ReplyDeletei think that abc family is doing a wonderful thing by opening up viewers eyes to cyberbullying. hopefully this movie will have a huge impact on everyone who watches!
ReplyDeleteI SOOOO CANT WAIT 2 SEE THIS MOVIE I SOUNDS LIKE AN AMAZING MOVIE & I USUALLY NEVER WATCH "ABC" BUT NOW FOR THIS MOVIE I WULD & IM ONLY 12 YRS OLD!!!!! AND AGAIN I JUST CANT WAIT 2 S33 DIS MOVI3!!!!!!!! :-D
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I am not a big fan of Emily but this movie was FANTASTIC
ReplyDeleteI'm in the middle of it right now. At the beginning I thought it wasn't that realistic because it was just so MUCH cyberbullying. But, as the show went on it got really dramatic and there were some really emotional stuff in the movie. I personally love Emily Osment, so thats why I watched the movie. Its really dramatic, so if youre into dramas then this is a good movie. Though its a little bit predictable.....Emily Osment did a great job though!!(:
ReplyDeletewhat did scott post on taylors suicide video?
ReplyDeletehonestly, if someone takes to heart what is said over the internet then they shouldn't be on it. People on the internet will say mean things as a joke and the receiver takes it personal and gets all hurt. If the receiver is mentally ill or something then it can turn bad otherwise it just ends in butt-hurt replies. trolls will be trolls.I also think this movie is bound to become a laughingstock on the internet soon, in just a day or so I'm already seeing stuff put upon it.
ReplyDeletesum of my thoughts: this movie shouldn't have been made and it will just attract more trolls and making anti-troll laws will bring more trolls and just cause more stupidity.
I love this movie it ispired a my bully friend she stopped bullying people.
DeleteI am so glad ABC Family did this movie. It tackled so many themes about friendship, bullying, and the dangers of the Internet, and told the viewers the optimal thing to do in a situation such as cyberbullying in a not-too-obvious, cheesy, make-believe sort of way. It really affected me emotionally, as I had tears streaming down my face do a good half of the movie. As a 16 year old girl growin up in the Facebook generation, Cyberbully really opened my eye to the true dangers and potential threats of posting on the Internet, and I know I will be thinking twice about what I post online in the future.
ReplyDeleteWas A very Good Movie Also Sad But Very Good. :)
ReplyDeleteI saw the movie last night and it was soooo good and intense !! I want to see it again and its goood that people are causing attention to cyberbullying so people will know that their actions do effect people even on the internet .
ReplyDeleteThis was a terrific movie! i am SOO glad abc family is doing something about cyberbullying it effects tons of people. Emily is such a talented actress! GREAT MOVIE!!! i want to see it again!
ReplyDeletethis movie was so empowering. it brought me to tears. i absolutely loved it.
ReplyDeleteso stupid. what was said before is so accurate; if you can't handle what's being said online, you don't belong there. kids are idiots, both the bullies and the bullied. it's truly disappointing.
ReplyDeleteCheesy, and cliched.. that's all I can say for the movie.
ReplyDeleteWow, person above me..grow the h--- up, the kids that are being bullied are not idiots at all, the ones doing it are! Teens can go on the internet and do whatever, they just gotta learn not to take things so seriously sometimes, if it's a bully online then just ignore them or whatever.
ReplyDeleteI first thought this was going to be a series like secret life is but it wasn't.. but I loved this movie!! it was great...and interesting.Emily's character is a lot more mature in this movie than it was on Hannah Montanna..on my peronal opinion. But it's a great movie I love abc family movies and secret life is great too! =)
ReplyDeleteI watch alot of dramas, this is the best!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's good people are raising awareness about the subject, but... Seriously? The only solution is to go all 1984 on us? Also it's clear that the writer new nothing about the internet. Or depression. Or life.
ReplyDeleteGreat Movie and Review. I thought it was very realistic. A really great drama. I agree with you, though - I couldn't be friends with her anymore either. Too strange. Cyberbully makes you feel more guarded about trusting your friends and being on-line.
ReplyDeleteI'm wanting to see this as a mature 13 yr old girl very strong and true to her Faith as a Christian. Besides some profanity, Is there any sexuality in this movie? Anything else I should be concerned about?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your time and God Bless♥
Reply for Mature 13 yr old:
ReplyDeleteYou asked, "Is there any sexuality in this movie?" The answer is no. There are no actual sex scenes in this movie. However, the topic of sex, is discussed quite frequently. Taylor's friend is miserable because she had a one time fling and now the guy has dumped her. It's hopefully a storyline that will prevent young girls from making the same mistake. Also, Taylor is accused on-line of being sexually active with someone. This is an un-true accusation.
I would reccomend you discussing watching this with a parent and if you decide together, that you are mature enough to do so - please, also watch it with a parent and dicuss this movie with them afterwards.
I thought this movie was fantastic. The actors/actresses were very convincing and played their parts to perfection. Will it make a difference? Maybe to the 9/10/11 age group before they get to Junior High, but as to the teenagers? No, because the ones who watched this movie aren't the ones doing the posting of bullying remarks. I wish it would be different, but it won't. And the main reason why it won't? Because there are always things going on in teenagers lives that make them feel insignificant and therefore this is the only way they know how to be significant. Also, a parent sews what they teach. :(
ReplyDeleteI ended up watching this anyway because after my research, I felt it would be appropriate. (Also, prayed and felt it would be okay - in which it was.) I enjoyed it I guess. It touched my heart because I have been a victim of bullying offline throughout my entire life. If you are able to interpret this well enough, People may be able to see that verbal abuse can be just as bad as physical.
ReplyDeleteThrough my own experiences, verbal bullying has much much more power over physical. I have been smacked, hit, kicked ect. And I will say, it's humiliating. But verbal was MUCH worse! At school, kids would say things similar to what happened to Taylor in the movie. Those words eventually changed my own view of myself. I was no longer smart loved clean or a virgin. I started to see myself the way the other kids would talk of me. I became a whore, that smoked dope, and got in trouble with the law. Though none of these things are true, the consumed me. Degraded my soul and self image.
Moving along, the movie I found wasn't that amazing. Now mind you, this is coming from a girl how likes 'guy movies'. I'm more into action and suspense than I am chick flicks.
***********POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT************
I found that it was very predictable. As soon as they announced 'James' was fake, I knew who it really was.
They should have put more focus on Taylor's brother feeling bad when she was going to take some pills. Not Samantha. HE started all of the issues/rumors.
Movie making quality : 4/5 stars.
Moral rating : 4.5/5
Acting : 4/5
Overall : 4/5
A great movie I would recommend though is Battle: Los Angeles. The absolute BEST.
~enjoy♥
These things really happen, so you need to be careful who you associate with online because any of these hurtful messages can lead to suicide.
ReplyDeletei hope that everyone learned a lot from this movie and how it can affect so many people.
This movie is so important and crucial to current times. This exact situation happened to me and I ended up, like in the movie, almost taking my own life. it's about time somebody got the message out there that cyberbullying is not okay. i applaud ABC for getting this out. Emily Osment brought me to tears. In her character, I saw myself. Although it was a haunting experience to relive in a sense, it was therapeutic .
ReplyDeletei just watched the movie and is was great! kids now days should relize,that words hurt. up lift each other instead of riping each other apart.
ReplyDeleteI loved the movie, although this sounds stupid or unrealistic i would have liked it if most of the people who were bullying Taylor online posted comments on her suicide video such as wait what are you doing, whats going on, your not going to kill yourself are you, stuff like that, it sounds stupid but it would have showed that most people online who were bullying Taylor were just following the crowd and whatever Lindsay wrote
ReplyDeleteHey everyone. So I just watched this movie, and I cant believe how much it opened my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI have an oral to do at school, and I will certainly take this movie as the subject. The movie made me realize things that I want other people to realize too.
And this movie really .. SPEAKS TO ME.
You know what? I am desactivating my facebook account. Having facebook is not worth it, its only virtual. Besides I was starting to get really obsessed with fb. So I am desactivating my facebook account, and I am SO GLAD I watched this movie :D
I've seen this movie! Its really good. Eric (taylor's brother)is so HOT!!! this is one of my top favortie movies.
ReplyDeleteit was alright
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed it really good.
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this movie.
ReplyDeletei love this move so much and why do she have go tought builling like this
ReplyDelete