While he's directed episodes of several television series,
Jason Bateman hasn't helmed a feature film until Bad Words, a subversive comedy set in the world of spelling bees.
This is assuredly not a documentary in the vein of Spellbound or a feel-good drama ala Akeelah and the Bee.
Bateman is Guy Trilby, a 40-year old misanthrope who enters the
Golden Quill, a national spelling tournament for children. It turns out Guy
never finished junior high and he exploits a loophole in the rules that state
no entrant must have passed the eighth grade. Much to the chagrin of tournament
director Dr. Bernice Deagan (Allison Janney) and founder Dr. William Bowman
(Philip Baker Hall), Guy is actually a genius and might just win the whole damn
thing. Guy's only competition is Chaitanya Chopra (Rohan Chand), an affable
10-year old whose cheery disposition remains unwavering in the face of Guy's utter
contempt. Luckily, Chaitanya is saved from Guy's more disreputable actions to
disrupt the bee. At one point, he sprays ketchup on a girl's trousers and
tricks her into thinking she's having her period.
The screenplay for Bad
Words was written by newcomer Andrew Dodge. It made the Black List, a
compendium for hot, but unproduced scripts, back in 2011. It's easy to see why
studios were gun shy of Bad Words since
the protagonist is an unrepentant jerk whose behavior borders on child abuse.
Jason Bateman has excelled at playing the straight man thrust
into absurd situations. On Arrested
Development, his Michael Bluth was the lone beacon of sanity surrounded by
a family of lunatics. In Bad Words, Bateman
actively plays against his nice guy image, but still spews every line of venom
with his trademark deadpan delivery. He never shows one ounce of gratitude
towards Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn), a hapless online reporter who sponsors
Guy and even pays for his meals and accommodations. The two of them engage in
casual, awkward sex in which Jenny repeatedly orders Guy not to look at her.
Hahn is always terrific in these supporting roles, which require her to
fearlessly leap into outrageous situations. Allison Janney and Philip Baker
Hall are great foils for Bateman though you can't help feel that they are a bit
wasted in such one note roles.
The main thrust of the film centers on the friendship
between Guy and Chaitanya, which forms against all odds, but is thoroughly in
line with movie conventions. Bateman's experience as a child actor likely
helped coax a naturalistic performance out of doe-eyed and precocious Rohan
Chand. It's all summed up in a montage set to the Beastie Boys as Guy and
Chaitanya run amok in a spree of shoplifting, pranks, and a visit to a
prostitute so the kid can see his first boobs. On one hand, you sort of root
for the two to bond given Chaitanya's troubles with bullies and his ultra-stern
father. Yet, it's a difficult task to remain in Guy's corner when he's hurling
racist insults at the boy, ones that aren't even that creative like
"slumdog" and "curry hole."
Can you spell, 'misfire?' Bad Words never had the convictions to go full force in creating a
truly reprehensible protagonist. It tries hard to make Guy unlikeable while
still making him likeable enough for that third act emotional payoff when all
is revealed. Bateman has the talent to make it work, but the humor goes for
pure shock value rather than anything creative.
Rating: ** (*****)
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