Bad Words: Movie Review
Jason Bateman makes his feature film directorial debut with the new comedy “Bad Words” Bateman has actually had nearly 20 years of experience directing various sitcoms but now he gets to finally branch out as a filmmaker. “Bad Words” turns out to be a very likable movie about a very unlikable person and there are more than a handful of laughs delivered. I just wish Bateman went a little darker with the material.
At age 40, Guy Trilby (Bateman) decides to step away from his career in order to enter a children’s spelling B. Due to a loophole in the guidelines, Guy is able to take part in the competition, although the parents of the children involved are none-too-pleased. Guy is sponsored by online journalist Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn), who backs him in exchange for the exclusive story on why he is doing what he is doing. The whole reason Guy is going through all of this is kept a secret for a supposed reveal at the end, but I actually guessed it mid-way through.
“Bad Words” is at its’ best when the story focuses on the new-yet-odd friendship between Guy and fellow contestant Chaitanya Chopra (Rohan Chand). Rohan is a seemingly lonely kid who so badly wants to make a friend and he picks Trilby as his friend-target. Of course despite all odds, Trilby lets his guard down and actually likes hanging out with the kid.
“Bad Words” is good, very good actually, but it’s not great. I felt like Bateman could have really pushed the envelope here and I would have loved to seen something more on the level of “Bad Santa” which aside from a few bad words, “Bad Words” is not. Still, fans of good comedy will still find plenty here to enjoy.