Review of Cyberbully (2011) by Jesse H — 03 May 2012

Why did this have to get a happy ending? Happy endings are not inspiring. This film would be more powerful if the girl actually did kill herself. Instead, we get a preachy film that succeeds in being essentially a Disney TV Film for teens.

But, to be fair, it really does give a very accurate portrayal of teenagers. But I it feels like a sermon to me. It is a mediocre film with an overly happy ending, that just isn't any good. Above that, the characters in this film, particularly Taylor Hillridge, fail to make me pity the characters that are bullied.

I understand that she is a teenage girl, but she acts rude to her friends, and is a character that not only is annoying, but so much so that it ruins the film. And I don't blame the actress for this as much as the writing.

"Cyberbully" is not a very well written film. I would have cared about this film had the characters been well-developed. Overall, "Cyberbully" is a depressing film not because of its' topic matter, but because of its' wasted potential.

This film could have been a very sad, and inspiring, film that really conveyed the message well. But the writers made the mistake of caring more about conveying the message then showing a story. That mistake turns the film into a sappy, preachy film that feels like I watching a video in health rather then watching a TV movie.

I only recommend this film to fans of Emily Osment or Disney made-for-TV movies. If you aren't a fan of either of those, this film will simply be a waste of an hour and a half of your life. 2/5 stars.