Jason Bateman’s directorial debut «Bad News» is politically incorrect from the get-go and therefore rated R. The story focusses on an adult crashing the spelling bee contests and trying to win the national prize.
The Father’s thoughts about «Bad Words»:
Looking for movies that can be enjoyed as a family is not always easy. Especially if you want to avoid violent affair. Having seen the trailer for «Bad Words» (2013) starring and directed by Jason Bateman before watching The Big Sick – a movie I can highly recommend as well –, we were looking forward to a romp filled with bad words and boy, did Bateman deliver.
The story focusses on Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman). The 40 year old proof reader found a loophole in the rules for the national spelling bee. As he has never passed the 8th grade, he is entitled to participate. There are no age restrictions mentioned in the rule book.
Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman) challenges the kids at the Golden Quill spelling bee finals.
On his spelling bee rampage Trilby is accompanied by the journalist Jenny (Kathrin Hahn). She tries to find out why the 40 year old is on a mission. She pulls all strings to support his cause. But she also collects some favors to find out more about this strange Guy, who literally walks through life insulting pretty much everybody. Most of the time these insults are hilarious rants. I.e. when a angry mother of a fellow spelling bee contestant attacks him and calls him an asshole, Trilby’s calm answer is: «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!» Yes, Guy Trilby is not a likable character.
An unlikely friendship
Still there is one kid, that doesn’t shy away from his angry routine. Chaitanya (Rohan Chand, who is playing the title role Mowgli) is a ten year old of Indian origin and also spelling bee finalist. Slumdog, as Trilby calls him, is staying on his own in the same hotel as Trilby. His father wants him to toughen up and have him stand on his own two feet. Guy and Chaitanya hit the road, bars and generally raise havoc. During their outing Trilby also proofs to his young companion that contrary to Chaitanya’s theory that all girls/women have nipples.
«Bad Words» is yet another example, that a movie with no relevant violence – one person gets accidentally hit by a chair, another kicked in the balls and a third pinched by a lobster in the penis – due to «bad words», exposed female breasts (once) and humorously insinuated sex (twice) is R-rated. It’s fine to obliterate entire city blocks, nail other peoples hands to tables and similar stuff and get away with a PG-13 rating, but oh no, don’t say the f-word or show some breasts. The logic behind the US rating system still eludes me.
Funnier than most Seth Rogen movies
Jason Bateman’s directorial debut is by far not a masterpiece. Bu it is much funnier and more politically incorrect than pretty much all recent Seth Rogen movies put together. In some moments the camera work is very subtle and surprisingly well lit for a low budget comedy. «Bad Words» to me is a sleeper that has the potential to become a cult classic.
The fact that Jason Bateman would three years later voice the sly fox Nick Wild in one of my all-time favorite animated movies Zootopia (2016) is to me a sign of hope. Why? In Bad Words Bateman pretty much breaks every rule in the Disney book of political correctness – sex, swearing, giving alcohol to children, insulting everybody etc. –, but still got to work for the house of the mouse.
Sean’s thoughts on «Bad Words»:
This movie is about 40 year old Guy Trilby who is participating at the Golden Quill spelling contest. He meets Chaitanya Chopra a weird spelling nerd who is in search of friends. They form an awkward friendship and go on hilarious «adventures».
To me this movie is very amusing but heartfelt as well. Jason Bateman does a great job of calling people names in very original ways. The movie never got uninteresting and had some very exciting moments in it. Sometimes I thought it was just straight out ridiculous and exaggerated. I think this is a great movie to watch with kids over 12, although there are some sexual references which some children might not understand.
