Three stars. Rating: R, for relentless profanity and crude language, sexual content and brief nudity
By Derrick Bang
While not the total train wreck
that its pleading, seemingly anxious social media publicity campaign might
suggest, this little flick also isn’t much to write home about.
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| An unexpected act of kindness by young Chaitanya (the utterly adorable Rohan Chand) prompts a smile from the curmudgeonly Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman), who until this moment hasn't displayed anything close to a sympathetic bone in his nasty body. Somehow, though, the sight of Guy looking cheerful is even scarier... |
First-time scripter Andrew Dodge
definitely wants the Bad Santa vibe,
and at times he comes close ... but that dark-dark-dark 2003 comedy was an inspired blend of talent (Billy Bob
Thornton) and superior material: a perfect marriage that Dodge too frequently
fails to consummate with this film’s Jason Bateman, who both stars and makes his big-screen directing debut.
I’ve never understood Bateman’s
appeal. As with Paul Rudd — another over-valued and under-talented, so-called
comic player — Bateman swans his way through every role with condescending
indifference, as if wanting to ensure that we all understand the big favor he’s
doing us, merely by appearing on the screen. It’s an irritating affectation, as
far removed from actual acting as a singer lip-synched by somebody off-stage.
But I digress.
Goodness knows, it’s long past
time to satirize the rarefied, hyper-competitive world of children’s spelling
bees. Given that Jeffrey Blitz’s marvelous documentary — Spellbound — came out more than a decade ago, some sort of comedic
riff should have followed within a few years. On the other hand, there’s
something to be said for waiting, since Bad
Words has the good fortune to ride the serendipitous publicity of the
jaw-dropping competition at this year’s Jackson County Spelling Bee, held just
a few weeks ago, when the event finale had to be postponed after the remaining
two contestants went 66 rounds without breaking their stand-off ... because the
organizers ran out of words (!).
Bad Words never quite gets the mix right,
however. Humiliating children via edgy humor is a dicey prospect, requiring a
razor’s-edge awareness that going too far risks alienating one’s audience.
Ultimately, Bateman and Dodge don’t skewer spelling bees with near the wit or
snarky panache that, say, director Michael Ritchie and scripter Jerry Belson
brought to 1975’s Smile, their
dead-on assault on teenage beauty pageants.
I’ll say this for Bad Words, though: All concerned don’t
waste any time. At an economical 88 minutes, this unsettling comedy never
becomes tedious.
Trouble is, it never quite
achieves glory, either.
Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a
smug misanthrope introduced as he crashes a regional qualifier for the
prestigious Golden Quill National Spelling Bee. Trilby gets away with this
scheme by exploiting a hiccup in the official rules; he never completed eighth
grade, and therefore remains eligible ... despite being 40.
