The transformation of Jason Bateman from forgotten actor to
Arrested
Development star to an R-rated comedy veteran has been an interesting one.
He seems more comfortable in vulgar laughers than anywhere else, tweaking his Michael
Bluth persona with a dash of nasty language and a sharper edge. He's so
comfortable in the genre that he's made his directorial debut the naughty,
R-rated comedy
Bad Words. Bateman is right in his foul-mouthed element
unleashing a string of expletives and off-color insults, and as long as he
stays there the film is an absolute riot. It's when the needs of a quality
story intrude that
Bad Words becomes more of a mushy lullaby.
Bateman comes with an arsenal of racial and ethnic slurs as Guy Trilby, a
misanthropic douche bag who worms his way into elementary school spelling bees
through a loophole. His reasons are a mystery, but what's obvious is that he
has a disdain for the Golden Quill national spelling bee, and lethal venom
towards his school-aged opponents. He lacerates them with every abusive quip he
can muster up, and while some of the damage he causes is funny, and a little
daring since it's aimed at kids, a lot of it misses the mark. There comes a
point early on when Guy's comments lose their shock value, and it's roughly
around that time when screenwriter Andrew Dodge (the screenplay ended up on the
Black List somehow) unsuccessfully attempts to give the film a lighter tone.
Clearly inspired by
Bad Santa, what
Bad Words desperately lacks is a
character we can either sympathize with or love to hate, and Guy Trilby is not
that....guy. What made Billy Bob Thornton so great in Bad Santa was that his
character was an a-hole, but it was mostly turned inward. He hated himself more
than anybody else and it manifested in the many ways he screwed up good things.
Guy is just a jerk, and whatever the reasons for his vengeful quest they don't
excuse the terrible way he treats people who have absolutely nothing to do with
his anger. Often he humiliates them (remember, these are children) publicly for
no apparent reason, which makes no sense considering he's established to be
some sort of genius. The typically-great Kathryn Hahn plays a rather pathetic
journalist following him around the country documenting his story, while also
throwing herself at him every chance she gets. She sleeps with him repeatedly
despite Guy treating her like dirt the entire time.
Even worse is the attempt to soften Guy by giving him a precocious little
sidekick in 10-year-old Chaitanya (the excellent Rohan Chand). A rival in the
Golden Quill, Chaitanya looks up to Guy as a friend, warming his heart while
enduring some ugly ethnic slurs. With little rhyme or reason, Guy is soon his
best buddy in the world and taking him out for montage-heavy nights on the
town. There's a real chemistry between Bateman and Chand that is infectious and
enjoyable despite it not really making much story sense. But then not much about
the plot is all that logical. Guy's motivation doesn't jibe with his actions
and feels like a desperate, last ditch attempt to salvage a purely despicable
character.
For his first time directing, Bateman does a solid job with a film that
doesn't ask for much visually. What he also shows is a deft hand for the
dramatic scenes as much as the ones played for laughs, if only had a more even
script to work with. The whole spelling bee theme is perfect for a satirical
skewering, but sadly
Bad Words isn't a film we can crown champion.
