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The movie, which depicts a young man standing up to those who bully him, was filmed in part at Toms River East.
TOMS RIVER, NJ — A movie about a teen's response to bullying that was filmed in part at Toms River High School East is set to be released on New Year's Eve.
"Bully," about a quiet high school student who is tormented by a school bully and learns to defend himself after going to a boxing gym and working with a trainer, was filmed in part in Toms River and Lacey in 2017. It was directed and produced by Santino Campanelli, and written by his father, Joe Campanelli. Santino Campanelli is from the Toms River area.
The film stars Tucker Albrizzi as the student who's being bullied. After an incident on his way home from school, he has a chance meeting with a former professional boxer who's played by Ron Canada. He decides to learn how to defend himself and starts going to the boxing gym with a trainer who's played by Danny Trejo. Trejo has a lengthy list of voice and acting credits, including a recurring part in "Sons of Anarchy" and a recurring voice role in the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" animated series. There are other character actors who will be familiar to viewers, including Vincent Pastore, who was on "The Sopranos."
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"Bully" was honored with the Best Family Feature award at the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park in 2018.
The movie is available for preorder on ITunes, according to the "Bully" movie's website. It is being distributed by Gravitas Ventures.
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It is described as a dark comedy in a Variety report about distribution of the movie.
"It's a great message too," Trejo said in an interview earlier in December on KTLA in Los Angeles. "Bullies will get it in the end."
You can watch the interview and see the trailer below:
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