by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor

When someone tells you that the movie you are about to watch is about a spelling bee, one would automatically assume that this story would be a family friendly tale of kids just being kids. When you find out that the movie you are about to watch is also rated R, and is starring /directed by Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), you start to question things a bit more. I had heard absolutely nothing about Bad Words prior to seeing the film. I hadn’t seen any publicity, and I hadn’t even seen the trailer in theaters. To my surprise, Bad Words was not only an incredibly funny movie, but it also is Bateman’s best performance to date.

Jason Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a grown man who takes it upon himself to find a loophole to enter a spelling bee that is designated for Eighth Graders. After making it to the regional level, he encounters Chaitanya Chopra (Rohan Chand – Jack and Jill), a kid who is also competing in the spelling competition. These two form an unlikely friendship, and end up getting into mischief. Also along for the ride is Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn – Chozen), a reporter who is trying to get the complete story on Trilby’s quest for Spelling Bee champion. The film also features Allison Janney (The Way Way Back) and Philip Baker Hall (Bruce Almighty) as the brains behind the Regional Spelling Bee competition.

The number one reason to see this movie is the opportunity to see Jason Bateman excel as “the funny guy” instead of his typical “straight-man” role. Bateman has always had to be the serious one on screen, and Bad Words moves him out of his comfort zone and allows for an extremely outside-of-the-box performance for the actor. There are numerous laugh out loud moments in the film, which are entirely due to Bateman’s mannerisms and take on Guy Trilby. The second reason to see Bad Words is the performance by Rohan Chand. This kid is definitely going to be around for a while, and the bond that is formed between his character and Bateman’s is hilarious to say the least.

I had no idea what to expect with Bad Words, and I cannot overemphasize how happy I was to have seen this movie. It sounds like a ridiculous premise (and it is), but there is a lot of heart behind what is going on in the film. I hope that this is just the beginning for Bateman’s funny guy routine, because it is damn good. Make sure that you add this one to your must see list.