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Bad Words - Movie Review

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3 stars

Jason Bateman is on quite a roll. After having his career resuscitated by starring (and starring again) in Arrested Development, he seems to earn only goodwill from all his projects – even the ones that bomb. Bad Words, his directorial debut, is yet another win. Effectively subversive and sweet, this black comedy sheds a little vocabulary know-how on the family experience in modern America.

Guy Trilby (Bateman) has an agenda. He’s found a loophole in a national spelling bee meant for children and has entered it as a grown-ass man. His extensive vocabulary means he can’t lose and his drive, annoying parents and children alike, means he pisses off a hell of a lot of people. Even he knows what he is doing is wrong…or at least morally questionable. That doesn’t stop him from using and abusing the reporter (Kathryn Hahn) whose publication is fronting the dough for his seemingly ridiculous endeavor. Nor does it keep him from bonding with his only major threat for the title, 9-year-old Chaitanya Chopra (Rohan Chand).

But what exactly is his mission? Writer Andrew Dodge (The Black List) gives Bateman great material to work with that is free from characters merely present as plot points. The screenplay is earnest and endearing and hilariously offensive as Guy figures out different ways to get more kids out of the contest. Always breathing down his back; however, are Dr. Bernice Deagan (Allison Janney) and Dr. William Bowman (Philip Baker Hall) who are more than embarrassed by his unrelenting participation in this nationally televised event. Guy won’t back down and, when his purpose is revealed, you won’t want him to either.

As amoral as the material is – it is, in fact, akin to Bad Santa in its mojo and main thrust – the message of the movie is more family-centered than you might expect. I would advise against gathering the family together to watch this film as family-friendly it is not. But what it imparts to the adult viewer about life and chances and the importance of connections keeps the film front and center. And so does the comedic timing and acidic bitterness of Bateman who nails his portrayal of Guy and makes a most evil of characters so deliciously entertaining and, dare I suggest, heartwarming.

The mystery of Guy’s participation in the spelling bee grows thanks to Bateman’s voiceover throughout the film and, when the credits roll, the payoff is a nice one. The emotional tropes – because the film isn’t all shenanigans and vulgarities – tend to resonate a little less than the comedy but, still, the film is engaging and well-directed for a first timer. Bateman claims the only reason he remains acting is to earn enough to make his next film and his career as a director is off to a promising start with Bad Words.

From comparing a woman’s privates to an elephant trunk to not being afraid to call the children vulgar names, you can’t help but laugh at Bad Words.

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Bad Words - Movie Review

MPAA Rating: R for crude and sexual content, language and brief nudity.
Runtime:
89 mins
Director
: Jason Bateman
Writer:
Andrew Dodge
Cast:
Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney
Genre
: Comedy
Tagline:
The end justifies the mean.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Why don't you take your potty mouth, go locate your pre-teen cock-sucking son and stuff him back up that old blown-out sweat sock of a vagina and scoot off back to whatever shit-kicking town you came from!"
Distributor:
Focus Features
Official Site: http://www.focusfeatures.com/bad_words
Release Date:
March 28, 2014
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
July 8, 2014
Synopsis: TJason Bateman (Identity Thief) 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.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Bad Words - Movie Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - July 8, 2014
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles
: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Spanish: DTS 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD); UV digital copy; iTunes digital copy; DVD copy; BD-Live
Region Encoding: A

Do not adjust this picture! If you listen to Jason Bateman's commentary track, you'll know that the washed out color seen throughout the film is there for a reason. Everything has a khaki effect to it, but it's not distracting at all. Otherwise, the 2.40:1 image is pretty sharp, with nice detail on that opening spit-take, the clothing, the facial hair, and the spelling bee scenery. Black levels are solid and deep and the contrast is sharp. The dialogue-heavy DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track has a surprising amount of detail in the surround environment which is nice for an immersive viewing experience.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • Led by Bateman, the commentary track is fun, informative, and complete necessary for an advanced appreciation of the film. He discusses the production and everything else about the making of the film during the running time.

Special Features:

On paper, these extras are a bit on the slim side. All of the deleted and extended scenes are clumped together and there's another 10-minute piece on the making of the film. There are a few good blurbs in that featurette but the real meat is in Jason Bateman's commentary track. An UltraViolet copy is included.

Deleted & Extended Scenes (6 min)

The Making of Bad Words (10 min)

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