Good to Be Bad

After decades of acting, Jason Bateman has finally made his directorial debut with Bad Words. The movie tells the story of Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old man who exploits loopholes in the rules of a middle school spelling bee competition to enter himself as a contender. Profane and selfish, and doing all of this for his reasons he refuses to reveal to the reporter covering his story, he seems determined to drag the entire event down to his level.

Jason Bateman had reportedly been angling to direct for years, and finally got the chance with this script. But the real treat for the audience is that the first two actors he approached to star in it turned him down. He ultimately decided to take the lead role himself, and it's one of the best performances he's given. For almost his entire career, Bateman has played the "nice guy" and the comedy "straight man," more often setting up the jokes than making them himself. Bad Words is a massive departure for him on both counts. Perhaps it's only the goodwill he has an actor that keeps the audience from hating the generally deplorable Guy Trilby, who curses and insults his way through the movie with caustic (but hilarious) glee.

But none of that should overshadow the real talent Bateman displays here as a director. The bulk of the movie hangs on the odd friendship/rivalry his character forms with a 10-year-old entrant named Chaitanya Chopra, played by Rohan Chand. Bateman likely draws on his own experiences as a child actor to draw a wonderful performance from his young co-star. And their interaction is uproariously funny. Sure, there are small, fun turns from the always-reliable Allison Janney, the ever-dry Philip Baker Hall, and the committed comedienne Rachael Harris -- but it's Bateman and Chand (and former Crossing Jordan regular Kathryn Hahn) that make the movie.

To be clear, this comedy is the blackest of black. The movie wants you to laugh at a grown man picking on little kids, revel in irate parents made apoplectic by their impotent rage, and root for chaos to rule the day. If this doesn't sound like your cup of tea, then you should trust your own judgment. But if you can get on board with the crazy premise and give yourself permission to risk being a bad person for 90 minutes, Bad Words will make you laugh out loud. Repeatedly. I give it an A-.