wendt31 Watched this with my kids and we all loved. I appreciated my kids getting the important message, but they kept also commenting on the great music:) One of my kids has experienced bullying first hand, and I think it was very powerful for him to see this story, as he could relate to the experience. Even if your child has not personally experienced bullying, this movie will help them understand the impact it can have, and ways to make a difference if they see it. I would recommend this movie to anyone with kids ages 8-18. The soundtrack was also really great, with some up and coming young artists. We had heard Ian Axle before, and were excited to have some more of his music to listen to. I will definitely be keeping this in our CD library to watch again!

spidervintage-etsy Very well done movie. I watched this with my grandchildren who liked the movie very much. The message was loud and clear and finely portrayed by an ensemble of good actors who were very appealing. I highly recommend this for ages 6 through teens. The end of the film was impressive as it showed both of the main characters had experienced changes and matured through the process of getting to know one another. Although I have watched many movies with my grandkids, I had never seen any of the actors before. It's clear that many of them are going on to careers that will give them more and more exposure. The movie was well directed by this first-time director and is to be applauded.

bousozoku When I saw "bullying", I thought "Oh, geez, another over-the-top, sensitive, feel-good movie that doesn't make a real point." but Contest isn't so far off from real life, although it tosses in a few over-the-top points, which are supposed to help the viewer become aware, not distract them from the message.It's obvious that it would be tricky to attack bullying without seeming ridiculous, especially since no one really knows how to handle it in real life. I suspect that everyone has been bullied in real life, especially the bullies, but dealing with it in in real life always seems to be non-confrontational.It's also obvious that everyone in the film tried to make it work and that there was some good chemistry between the characters. Daniel Flaherty's character, Tommy, seems as good a victim as you would hope--someone who just can't catch a break, but still hard-working and caring. It's evident in a scene where he's being swindled by another teen who says his parents lost their jobs. Kenton Duty's character, Matt, doesn't really seem a bully though his brother Kyle does, but that he doesn't want to be bullied, so he goes along with it rather than be ostracized by the rest of the team, and tries to have some fun along the way. Katherine McNamara's character, Sarah, is the intelligent, don't-take-no-for-an-answer type. Tommy's grandmother is the only character that seemed unrealistic, as she wanted to cook for the bullies, to ply them with food, to make them see reason. I don't know of any place in the northeast where that works and I don't recall a grandmother who wasn't at least a little feisty. Still, along the way she has words of wisdom and becomes the voice of reason.There is plenty of scheming and double-dealing and you might need a score card to keep up with who is on which side. Sarah seemed to be keeping up with most everything, but strangely never threatened.In the end, things work out pretty well for Tommy, despite the minor disasters and soul-searching but all the scheming behind the scenes because of Kyle and Joe made me wonder if Matt was safe. Kyle and Joe didn't seem to learn or regret and there weren't any real consequences that would make them change their minds. Wrapping up the story with a perfect ending is fine when you don't have a fabric store full of loose threads, like a 1960s sitcom.

shortrest 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.