Jason Bateman has found a loophole that allows him to enter a children’s national spelling bee, and he’s not going to take any prisoners in Bad Words. Review after the jump.
Directing and acting, Jason Bateman pulls double duties in Bad Words – and he does a good job too. Bad Words is much like Little Miss Sunshine if it had been directed by Judd Apatow. It’s rude, it’s vulgar, and it’s very funny.
Guy Trilby (Bateman), with reporter Jenny (Kathryn Hahn) by his side, has found a loophole in order to enter the regional and then national children’s spelling bee contest. His mission is to win it all, yet the reasoning behind his plan is vague. He will cheat and manipulate in order to succeed and while the scenes that show him doing so are funny, it wasn’t really needed, as he can spell every word ever.
Along the way, Guy meets a ten-year old called Chaitanya who just wants to be his friend, but the mean-spirited Guy would rather tell him where to go, which would then be followed up by calling him a name like Slumdog or Chicken Tikka.
Bateman being mean is very funny to behold, yet it also draws you in and makes you ask why he is being so, as deep down, we know he is a decent person.
The film does lose its way a little in the middle, with Guy and Chaitanya having a night of fun (pretending they have been in a road accident, stealing lobsters etc) and the ending isn’t much of a shock, but it is all fun.
Overall Thoughts:
Bateman knows how to spell and he knows how to swear in Bad Words. It can be vulgar, but Bad Words is a funny film and hilarious in parts. Hilarious, H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S. Hilarious.
Leave a Reply