Such a frustrating disappointment

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

You'll find a number of familiar faces from the small screen in the film Contest which was made as part of an anti-bullying initiative. It's a decent effort, but sad to say the main reason, the main taunt that bullies use was never in the film. That is that pejorative beginning with the letter "F" referring to sexual orientation. That in itself makes this an inferior product.In this film young Danny Flaherty is the target of the jocks in his high school specifically the swim team who love to toss him in the pool as he can't swim. The leader of the bullying and the swim team is Kenton Duty.However one day Duty is caught in the act and is given a choice, expulsion and curtailment of his athletic activities or befriend Flaherty and head an anti-bullying initiative. Duty calls and Duty chooses.But Kenton is raised by older brother Kyle Dean Massey who has his own reasons for wanting this to fail. Flaherty's grandmother who raises him owns a pizzeria that someone wants her out of. It's where Flaherty has learned to cook and he's entered a cooking contest where the winner receives $50,000.00 and TV show entitled TV chef. Flaherty has a team of four for the contest and Duty is part of his team.It goes without saying that when the two are thrown together even though Kenton is initially thinking of sabotaging Flaherty's efforts, eventually he and Flaherty bond in a unique way.What can you say about a film that totally ignores the chief reason for bullying in school, real or perceived gayness. Maybe had Flaherty been made a gay character this film might have had some bite to it. But I suspect the producers didn't want to hear from religious right.Contest, a sincere but very weak film.

WOW! I really enjoyed this movie! As a middle school teacher! I appreciate the efforts of the cast and the writer/director to deliver a much-needed anti-bullying message in an accessible, highly entertaining way. School authorities, stressing their serious commitment to zero tolerance of bullying, often promote their message in a heavy-handed manner.Not Contest.Sure, the subject matter is serious (one character even contemplates suicide briefly). But this script also embraces the foibles present in teens, tweens and adults: namely, being used to doing certain things (like being a loner or a bully) for our "right" reasons and then having to deal with those reasons being challenged. And the cast--especially, but not limited to, the five leads--demonstrate their talent as their characters respond to those challenges, for better or worse.Kudos! To Kenton Duty (bully Matt) and Daniel Flaherty (victim & teen chef Tommy) to realistically portraying the rocky relationship between their characters, with its twists & turns of ingrained mistrust vs. building trust. To Katherine McNamara's strong-minded & lovely Sarah, an observant, forthright blogger who challenges both Tommy & Matt in her quest for the truths underlying their unlikely partnership. To Mary Beth Peil and Kyle Dean Massey: the lovingly supportive Gran contrasts well with Matt's manipulative older brother Kyle. How these adults dispense their respective wisdom (Gran's selfless vs. Kyle's self-driven) to the teens they're raising reminds us how "children live what they learn."Just like life, Contest is funny, eye-opening and touching. Tommy and his teen chef crew's lively run-ins with the female Bartosh cousins' team and every appearance of obnoxious teen chef opponent Dennis (a hilarious Dan Fabi) cracked me up. Ravi Ullman's frazzled but smooth TV host kept me smiling. Alex Boniello scarily impressed me as Joe, Matt's friend & swim teammate, with his funny yet vicious streak. And Owen Teague's Bobby (a Team Tommy member) won my heart whether he was impishly flaunting his success with the Bartosh girls or brokenheartedly crying when targeted by a cyber-bully.Contest send an uplifting message: be open to friendships with people who might not seem to be your "type"--a reminder that well serves tweens & teens beyond their school experiences.I highly recommend Contest for students 4th grade & up through early high school. Ideally, families would benefit from watching it together. (Also recommended by Stuart Snyder, president of The Cartoon Network where Contest first premiered in October, Anti-Bullying Month.) I also purchased a copy for my classroom library--principals take note!

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.

I was beyond impressed with this movie. I knew before seeing it that it carried an anti-bullying message, but I wasn't prepared for just how inventive the messages would be made in the film. It seemed like so many of the characters in the movie had been bullied in ways large or small, and some were the bullies themselves. I got the impression the creators of the film really wanted to highlight the complexities of the issue, how it's not easy to just find one person completely guilty and the rest innocent, or vice versa. Really well done! I was also extremely impressed with how funny the movie was! At totally unexpected moments, I found myself laughing hysterically. Great acting, great story, great movie! Well done to all involved, and thanks for giving the world a new anti-bullying movie that's far from the cookie cutter expectations of the past!