Bad Words(2014 - March 28)
Comedy
1 hr. 29 min.
Rated: R | Crude and vulgar gratuitous sexual content, brief nudity and Language. Common Sense Media says Pause for kids 16 & under. In my opinion kids 16 and 17 should not be subjected to this trash...18 and older shouldn't be subjected to this trash, which includes a 9 year old encouraged to use profane language and succeeds in getting him to do so but the bad behavior is not limited him swearing. Expect to hear repeatedly most of the words from the worst list. Read more
Grade: D+
Director: Jason Bateman
Writer: Andrew Dodge (screenplay)
Stars: Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney | See full cast and crew
Warning this is the R rated trailer, it contains profanity.
Jason Bateman ("Identity Thief") makes his
feature directorial debut with the subversive comedy "Bad Words."
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.
It seems that Jason Bateman has joined the ranks of the actors/writers/directors that feel a need to showcase their lack or morals by shoving it up your nose on screen. Dragging a child, Rohan Chand his co-star, through the gutter and calling upon him to use vulgar language and to do things things that in most communities would put the adult at risk of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and possibly child abuse, is just plain wrong, but Hollywood gets a pass hiding behind claims of artistic integrity and freedom of expression. The abuse of children doesn't stop with Chand, but all the other child actors are subjected to vulgarity and profanity as well.
Bateman is a talented actor and comedian but continues to tarnishes his image here in his directorial debut. Beyond the above weaknesses the story is predictable and trite and ends just where it could have moved forward possibly redeeming itself.
The mystery of the film is the motivation for why Guy Trilby (Bateman) is doing what he is doing, but what is this 40 year old going to at the end of his spelling bee stunt, once his goal has been met and his motive has been exposed. This would have made a much more compelling story. The real story is left unresolved.
What could have been a charming, funny morality tale, instead becomes a vulgar, trashy, narcissistic exploit with little social redeeming value and very little humor. The film does have a few clever lines and a couple of laughs but they are not worth the hour and 29 minutes of your life.
On the set with director Jason Bateman and his co-star Rohan Chand
Cast
Guy Triby Chaitanya Chopra
Jenny Widgeon Dr. Bowman
