Bad Words (2014)
2014-03-22 02:27:40
Released March 14, 2014 /
Comedy /
R
Cook Time
1 hr 29 min
Ingredients
- Stars: Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand, Allison Janney, Philip Baker Hall
- Written By: Andrew Dodge
- Directed By: Jason Bateman
Instructions
- Jason Bateman makes his feature directorial debut with the subversive comedy Bad Words. Mr. Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old who finds a loophole in the rules of The Golden Quill national spelling bee and decides to cause trouble by hijacking the competition.
- Contest officials, outraged parents, and overly ambitious 8th graders are no match for Guy, as he ruthlessly crushes their dreams of victory and fame. As a reporter (Kathryn Hahn of We're the Millers) attempts to discover his true motivation, Guy finds himself forging an unlikely alliance with a competitor: awkward 10-year-old Chaitanya (Rohan Chand of Homeland), who is completely unfazed by Guy's take-no-prisoners approach to life.
Notes
- “Bad Words” is not a bad movie. It's actually very enjoyable. Even though many of the big laughs were presented to us in the trailers, there were still plenty of hilarious moments left for us to experience. The previews tend to highlight the main protagonist as a rude, foulmouthed jerk, but the film actually digs much deeper into his psyche and reveals to us the driving force propelling his ludicrous mission.
- Jason Bateman and Kathryn Hahn make a great comedic team. Their sexual, non-traditional relationship is one of the highlights to this film. And Hahn is no second fiddle here. She has a real meaty role and manages to pull off some big laughs. Rohan Chand’s character serves as a fantastic sidekick to Bateman’s Guy Trilby. The kid’s got enough charm and enthusiasm to disarm even the worsts of grinches.
- It doesn’t take long for Chaitanya to lower Guy’s defenses. Guy then helps Chaitanya to live out many of the fantasies he most likely wasn’t able to experience himself as a child, such as seeing a hooker’s breasts and getting drunk in a bar. Hey, it’s R rated for a reason. This just adds to the whole father/son theme which runs throughout much of the film.
- Is “Bad Words” funny? Yes, it’s very funny. And it’s not as cruel and mean-spirited as the trailers would make it out to be, but that’s a good thing. The film does have heart. At its core, it’s all about trust and relationships - and a lot of bad behavior. As for Bateman’s feature film directorial debut, I don’t really have any bad words to offer up.
Know It All Joe http://www.knowitalljoe.com/