Review of Bad Words (2013) by Hatem A — 17 Jan 2015
2.5/4.0.
In his directorial debut, Jason Bateman gets out of his comfort zone portraying an obnoxious 40-year-old loser who finds a loophole in the national spelling bee rules and decides to compete. Kathryn Hahn plays a reporter who sticks with him in an attempt to find a story and the reason for him doing what he is doing. That "mystery" is one of the things that makes the movie interesting. It is undoubtedly an original premise and the film is entertaining thanks to Bateman who is very good here as a straight-faced, foul-mouthed character. Some of the humor is all too crude especially that kids are involved, which may repel some viewers. A key central premise is the relationship Bateman's character develops with an Indian contestant. I have some reservations on their "wild night out" but the relationship develops in a solid direction.
"Bad Word" is flawed especially with more that needed to be known about Bateman's character but all in all it is entertaining and occasionally funny making it worth the watch.
This review of Bad Words (2013) was written by Hatem A on 17 Jan 2015.
Bad Words has generally received positive reviews.
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