Jason Bateman's 'Bad Words' Review

‘Bad Words’ Review

by Kartik Chainani

            Arrested Development and Horrible Bosses star Jason Bateman makes his directorial debut in the new Focus Features film, Bad Words. In the film, Bateman also stars as main character Guy Trilby, a 40-year old proofreader with a major chip on his shoulder. Being so well known for his many roles as “the nice guy”, Bad Words is a refreshing change of pace for Bateman, as we get a chance to watch his acting skill flourish when playing a world-class jerk.

            The story follows a middle-aged man (Bateman) who finds a loophole in the Golden Quill National Spelling Bee, a contest for middle-school students, which allows him to be a contestant.  Despite being such a hateful human being and having dropped out of middle-school himself, Guy is actually quite brilliant when it comes to the English language, and has a strong, strange desire to beat all the children competing. 

Angering all the contestants and infuriating their parents, Guy is clearly completely unwanted at the competition. Unexplainably, young contestant Chaitanya Chopra (Rohan Chand) immediately seems to take a liking to Guy, and desperately tries to be his friend. Hateful and profane Guy, however, pushes him away at every turn. Chand’s character couldn’t be more lovable. A stereotypical spelling bee nerd, Chaitanya has no friends and spends most of his time buried in his books. However, his enthusiasm and warmth are things that even Guy can’t resist.

           

Bateman’s character, Guy Trilby is the kind of guy you never want to run into, as his clear hatred for the world seems to be taken out on anyone in his way. While being an overall pessimist who seems to have no filter on his potty mouth, you can’t help but crack up at just about everything he has to say in this movie.

            Admittedly, some scenes and camera work throughout the film feels a little awkward at times, and gives off a bit of an indie-vibe. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it just breaks out of the norm a bit, as Bateman finds his footing as a director.

            This being Bateman’s first chance at directing a feature-film, he seems to have started off strong. While it may be a different experience when he’s directing himself, the chemistry and feel given by the rest of the characters, particularly Chaitanya and love interest, Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn), offers hope that Bateman will make a success of his next project, The Family Fang (2014).

Overall, Bad Words may not be the funniest movie you’ll see this year, but it is, without a doubt, worth checking out. The nasty humor and tone of the movie present sure-fire laughs, and the dynamic between Bateman and Chand has an underlying warmth to it. As Bad Words is only currently released in select theaters, if it’s near a theater near you, it’s well worth your time.