Bad Words

Movie Title--  Bad Words

Release Year--  2013

Running Time--  1 Hour and 29 Minutes

Director--  Jason Bateman

Cast--  Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand, Philip Baker Hall, Allison Janney, Steve Witting

40-year old Guy Trilby finds a loophole in The Golden Quill national spelling bee and decides to enter, only to wreck havoc on the competitors and infuriate the parents and the directors of the tournament.  

Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman) is an angry 40-year old man.  Because of a loophole in The Golden Quill rules and the fact that he never passed the 8th grade, he is allowed to enter the national spelling bee, much to the dismay of the children that he has to compete against and their outraged parents.  By his side is Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn), a reporter that is sponsoring him and trying to write his story for her the online newspaper she is working for.  He qualifies all the way to the top, which takes him to L.A. for The Golden Quill national spelling be and on the plane ride, he meets Chaitanya Chopra (Rohan Chand), a ten year old with a positive outlook on the whole situation, determined to befriend the older man.

As Guy progresses through the ranks at the spelling bee, Jenny is doing undercover work to see who Guy really is and try to find out his motivation for entering the spelling bee.  The patience of the directors of the spelling bee and the children's parents are tested as well as the bonds of friendship as Guy comes closer and closer to achieving his ultimate goal and reasoning for entering the spelling bee.

So, this is not going to be everyone's type of film but to tell the truth, I laughed all the way through this film.  There are a few parts that are a little raunchy and of course the language is a bit grown-up but over all, it was very funny.  I happen to think that Jason Bateman is very amusing anyway, so for me, this film was a win from the very beginning.  The relationship between Bateman and Chand is just great, although it does make the film feel slightly awkward from time to time, once you begin to realize that Guy Trilby doesn't care if this person is a child or not he is going to say things how they are and in whatever language he chooses to say it with.  Even though it does make for a few awkward moments, from a child's perspective it seems to also be refreshing.

As far as this film goes, if you are looking for a good laugh, this one is a pretty good one.  This film is Jason Bateman's directorial debut and I say, good for him, if he puts out anymore like this one, I won't only be a fan of his acting but also his directing.  The language is a little unbelievable but if you can get past the swearing, it will have you laughing out loud.  Settle in for a good laugh and Don't Forget the Popcorn!