Although he seems to take part in just about every studio comedy nowadays, Jason Bateman had previously never tried his hand at directing his own feature. He finally got that chance last year and premiered the results at Toronto International Film Festival, with his directorial debut Bad Words. Leading the film himself, Bateman’s character finds a loophole which lets him compete in a national spelling bee.
We were fans of the R-rated comedy at the festival, saying in our full review it’s “a role that will let him prove he can be the mercurial, loudmouth dickhead, while everyone else on the periphery can attempt to appeal to whatever morsel of humility he may have left.” The raunchy red band trailer has now landed and the dark streak certainly seems like it’d be up my alley. Check it out below for the film also starring Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand, Ben Falcone, Philip Baker Hall and Allison Janney.
Update: Check out a green band trailer below.
Jason Bateman (“Identity Thief”) makes his feature directorial debut with the subversive comedy “Bad Words.” Mr. Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old who finds a loophole in the rules of The Golden Quill national spelling bee and decides to cause trouble by hijacking the competition. Contest officials, outraged parents, and overly ambitious 8th graders are no match for Guy, as he ruthlessly crushes their dreams of victory and fame. As a reporter (Kathryn Hahn) attempts to discover his true motivation, Guy finds himself forging an unlikely alliance with a competitor: awkward 10-year-old Chaitanya (Rohan Chand of “Homeland”), who is completely unfazed by Guy’s take-no-prisoners approach to life.
Bad Words opens this March.