Film review: Bad Words

A sweet odd-couple friendship with the rising young star Rohan Chand softens Jason Bateman's boorish anti-hero.

Rohan Chand in a scene from the dark comedy Bad Words. Chand's portrayal of a spelling bee rival softens star Jason Bateman's boorish anti-hero character. Courtesy Focus Features / AP Photo
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Director: Jason Bateman

Starring: Jason Bateman, Rohan Chand, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney

Three stars

Jason Bateman makes a decent directorial debut with this sour comedy about a middle-aged man who competes in spelling contests aimed at schoolchildren. Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a misanthropic proofreader who enters the championship driven by darkly personal motives that only become clear late in the film. It’s bold of Bateman to play such an unsympathetic leading man. However, his sharp-tongued sneering may prove distasteful to some, straying into racist and sexist slurs. In their prime, Bill Murray or Jack Nicholson might have invested this kind of role with depth and empathy, but Bateman’s Trilby often comes across like just another angry white guy griping over his First-World problems. Fortunately, Bateman holds a trump card in Bateman holds a trump card in the form of the rising young star Rohan Chand, who shines as Trilby’s rival and unlikely friend, Chaitanya. It is this sweet odd-couple friendship that slowly softens Bateman’s boorish anti-hero, allowing him a late shot at redemption. Co-star Kathryn Hahn also impresses as Trilby’s dysfunctional journalist friend Jenny, adding fizz to the comic chemistry.