Bad Words | SXSW Movie Review

Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman) is a 40 year-old man on a mission. With nary a care in the world to what is morally right nor appropriate, Guy is determined to utilize any loophole he can to gain entry and win the National Spelling Bee competition, destroying the dreams of numerous tweens in the process.

As Guy insults and offends every child, parent and educational staff member alive, he also befriends Chai (Rohan Chand), a precocious and isolated boy with just as much curiosity as tenacity. The two bond over horrible words and worse deeds, but with Chai warming his heart, will Guy continue on his quest to destroy the fundamentals of our education system?

Bad Words is Jason Bateman’s directorial debut from an Andrew Dodge script, and what an interesting, foul and downright mean-spirited debut it is. As most actors would choose a film that plays to their established strengths as their launching pad, Bateman goes completely against type and rests the entirety of the success of the film in his own wickedly vicious hands. This challenge seems to bring Bateman to life in a way not yet seen on film and he simply nails the part.

Bateman has established himself the last few years as the go-to for put-upon ‘nice’ guys. Guy Trilby is the guy you would find urinating on Bateman’s traditional characters in one of his other films.  Here, he gets to BE the abuser.  Trilby is crude, foul-mouthed, rude, insensitive and spiteful. This is a character that requires someone like Bateman to stand a chance of sympathizing with. By casting himself, the audience has a built-in sympathy for Guy and his antics, something that helps keep you invested even when the character is tossing around the cruelest of barbs. As Guy attempts to distance himself from Chai in horribly racist and offensive ways, we eventually see the wounded man inside the character, which is something a film like this desperately needs and Bateman deftly delivers.

Bateman may be front and center, but the film would simply not work without sympathetic characters and what an adorable actor they have in Rohan Chand. Chai never loses his wide-eyed innocence, even when pursuing hookers or dropping the F-bomb at a moment’s notice. This is a child actor who can hang with any situational changeup and he is the definitive yin to this odd couple’s yang. Bateman, the Director, also manages to stay clear of too much sugar-rot in this relationship. Just as things start to seem a bit too sweet, into the cesspool of black humor we go.

While these two are the foundation for the film, there are a couple of notable standouts as well. Kathryn Hahn as Jenny, the infatuated reporter trailing Guy’s plight, is wonderful in her absolute insanity as she tries to both understand and reject Guy…neither of which she has overwhelming success with. Allison Janney and Philip Baker Hall are other standouts as the faculty members beholden to the rules, and therefore daunted by the ridiculousness of this entire endeavor. Watching these two continually trip over themselves trying to discredit Guy grounds the film in realism while also keeping your roaming sympathies on the move.

When the credits roll you will understand Guy’s journey, yet you will also be left with the knowledge that you just spent ninety minutes laughing at the most awful human being you have met in quite some time. Yes, the film is foul, crude, vulgar, but especially: It’s funny. Bad Words is the kind of movie you should be ashamed you enjoyed so much.

If $10 is the full price of admission, Bad Words is worth $7

Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider