I saw this movie on at 3 a.m. after a long day. I figured I'd leave it on the TV while I drifted off to sleep on the couch. And maybe learn a few new spelling bee words through osmosis...That didn't happen.I was sucked in and had to see how this played out. I set my review to spoilers in case I give anything away though I'll try not to. There's a good deal of spot on reviews already posted so I'll give my summary of pros and cons;Pros 1) Jason Bateman's directing was an unexpected surprise. I thought he did a great job of keeping the pace and visual tone to a level that keeps the viewer interested despite the backdrop of a spelling bee.2) Jason Bateman and the kid's interactions - Jason's character is one of the most unlikeable, vulgar characters I've ever seen. Probably worse than Bad Santa due to the dexterity of his vocabulary. And his interactions with the Indian child aren't any cleaner or easier to absorb. Yet the child continues to take them with a smile and tries to befriend him regardless. Bateman's character warming up to the kid is predictable but has a few curves and is an enjoyable watch if your not offended by the 'Bad Words.'Cons 1) The relationship with the main character and the reporter that is trying to figure him out is unusual. She's interested in him as a story and as a lover, yet he really doesn't show any redeeming qualities toward her at anytime in the movie. Unless she's just a glutton for punishment with her own issues (which she apparently has if you've seen their sex scenes), this relationship makes less sense than Bad Santa and the bartender's.2) The big mystery behind his motivation for trying to win a spelling bee (in the most annoying and unusual fashion) is kind of a bust. Through Jason's interactions, it is easy to deduce his motive. His disdain for fathers, his lack of family and friends, his obsession with the spelling bee...I had it figured out pretty quick. While it doesn't hurt the movie too much as it doesn't negate the comedy or his interactions with the boy, the movie plays it like a huge surprise. It falls flat in that regard. But frankly once into the movie, I wasn't too concerned about his motivation as I was seeing how it all played out. In that regard I wasn't disappointed.3) The main character is just unlikeable to the point it's hard to believe he would garner any love interest from anyone or that any child would want to be his friend. It would take a perfect storm of damaged people or Gandhi-like patience for anyone to tolerate or want to be around him. Maybe that's the hardest part of the story to believe. He's a miserable person who wants to make everyone around him miserable. Sometimes it's hard to watch, but I had to remind myself it's just a movie. But some of his actions and words seem unnecessary and cruel.Overall, it got my interest and held onto it at 3 a.m. The plot and some of the relationships between the characters seem unlikely, but the journey and witty (if not offensive) dialogue make it worth the trip. If someone told me an offensive adult jerk joining a children's spelling bee would make for a good movie, I would not believe them; nor would I have envisioned the decent movie they've managed to create.

Debuting feature director Jason Bateman stars here as Guy Trilby, a 40 year old former proofreader for product guarantees. One day he gets the bright idea to enroll in a national Spelling Bee. He's found a loophole which he can exploit, so he's off and running, competing against kids a quarter of his age. These include the annoying but endearing Chaitanya Chopra (Rohan Chand), a boy with a demanding, somewhat distant father. Despite being a wise ass and a potty mouth (as well as a man on a mission), Guy finds himself befriending the boy."Bad Words" is a gem for this viewer. On the surface, it would seem to be a standard tale of an ageing loser, with much of the raunchiness and vulgarity expected from that sort of thing. Well, the movie doesn't disappoint in that regard, but it also turns out to have a fair bit of heart, without going overboard on sentiment. Guy is an enigma for a long time, confounding the reporter (the sexy Kathryn Hahn) with whom he frequently ends up having sex. (During which she apparently doesn't like being looked at.) And the friendship that develops between the smart alecky adult and the earnest kid was written in an entertaining and convincing way. Not surprisingly, Guy introduces Chaitanya to such grown up delights as ogling breasts, as well as teaching him the joys of practical jokes.The language is often colourful enough to generate some laughs, although "Bad Words" never does wallow in complete raunchiness or unpleasantness. The words chosen for the spelling bee are pretty damn amusing at times.Bateman does a creditable job as director, as well as delivering an engaging performance. Hahn, Allison Janney, Philip Baker Hall, Ben Falcone, Steve Witting, Beth Grant, Anjul Nigam, and Bob Stephenson are among a rock solid supporting cast. Young Chand is very likable.Overall, a smart, funny tale recommended to comedy lovers tired of the predilection towards political correctness in current times.Eight out of 10.

Jason Bateman is mostly known for his role as Michael Bluth on the hit comedy series 'Arrested Development' and a big variety of other comedy roles ranging from movies like 'Horrible Bosses' to 'Teen Wolf 2'. He is quite the comedic actor with perfect timing and is always great to see on the big screen. Bateman has said that he does these acting roles so that one day he can get behind the camera and direct, as this is his ultimate goal.Well the script by Andrew Dodge (a new-comer to Hollywood) called 'Bad Words' ended up in front of the iconic comedy actor and Bateman decided this would be the perfect film to start his directing career. And what a fun and cute film it is that follows a middle-aged man competing in Spelling Bee contests designed for kids. The results will have you in stitches through most of the film as it pushes the bound of raunchy taste while at the same time being tasteful. And Bateman does an exquisite job with his actors, script, and camera to make this 'R' rated comedy have a place on my shelf for many future viewings.You will probably draw comparisons with 'Bad Words' to 'Bad Santa', and not just because of its title. But maybe for it's underlying tone of something good like Christmas time or a children's Spelling Bee championship mixed with nudity and very vulgar language. It's a tone and style that has worked before and continues to work on in 'Bad Words'. Bateman plays a 40-year old proofreader named Guy Trilby who has a photographic memory and seems like a well enough guy, but we find out that he has never passed the 8th grade, and refuses to tell us or a reporter Jenny (Kathryn Hahn) why.But this rationale for not passing the 8th grade allows him to cross through all the legal jargon and red tape to enter National Spelling Bee Championships, crushing his 12 and under competitors, but is met with much disdain and even violent reactions from parents and the chairperson of the Spelling Bee, Dr. Bernice Deagan (Allison Janney), who tries to illegally thwart Trilby into quitting the contest. As Trilby and Jenny are traveling from contest to contest across the United States, a young and sweet boy named Chaitanya Chopra (Rohan Chand) introduces himself to Trilby and welcomes the competition. Basically, Chopra is the nicest kid ever to be born and goes above and beyond to make everyone feel welcome with a smile on his face. Trilby responds with racial remarks and very inappropriate jokes that would make a grown man blush, let alone an 11-year old kid. We soon find out that Chopra's dad forces his son to only study and not have any social life whatsoever, so poor Chopra has no friends besides his trapper keeper full of words.Since Dr. Bernice put Trilby in the custodian closet at the hotel and Chopra has a full bedroom with a fully stocked bar in his room, Trilby uses Chopra to drink, but then sees that his new little friend could use some teaching in the 'real world' and most of all some good old fashion fun. Trilby's idea of fun may not be for everyone, for he takes the young Chopra on a night out he won't soon forget that includes prostitutes, stealing, drinking, and pulling vulgar pranks on random people to the sounds of the Beastie Boys. We do eventually get the reason Trilby has spent his life doing what we see, but it is done it such a good way that it never gets to sappy or overly thought out. The characters are there for a certain reason and they never go off on tangents, which is a breath of fresh air. It's straight to the point.Bateman plays Trilby with a certain kind of unusual charm even though he is very offensive. But hey, he's funny. And Rohan seems like the sweetest kid in the world and does a swell job. 'Bad Words' made me laugh throughout the entire film with very few breathers, and it managed to get a bit of heart and soul in there as well. If you want to laugh your ass off, then get out and see 'Bad Words', and if this is to show us what Bateman is capable of behind the camera, then by all means give him more projects.

Bad Words is an interesting film. With all the racist and misogynistic jokes in the movie, failure should have been its destiny. But the film, nowhere near perfection, does manage to be solidly funny and serves as a good directorial debut for star Jason Bateman. Granted, some jokes are uncomfortable, but others are hilarious. Some people may find this film mean-spirited, but it shows there are these kind of people out here in the world who would do something like Bateman's character would. Bateman's film is about a crude, bad-mouth man named Guy Trillby who enters the Golden Quill, a national spelling competition designed for children. But 40-year-old Guy finds a loophole and he decides to participate in the spelling bee despite all the backlash from the parents and officials.Granted, Jason Bateman's character was extremely unlikable. But it was rather funny to watch him mow down the competition. So I guess Bateman did a good job in his role. We also get some clever supporting turns from Kathryn Hahn and especially Allison Janney as the main official of the spelling bee. Overall, Bad Words is a crude movie but it's often pretty funny and some of the jokes hit home hard. I sort of like the rivalry he struck up with the nine-year-old Indian kid as they both become friends as well as enemies. There will obviously be some detractors from the film, but it seems like I am not one of them. It's not a great film, but merely a good, small comedy. My Grade: B-