Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Bad Words Blu-ray Movie Review

L-a-l-o-c-h-e-z-i-a. Lalochezia.

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 15, 2014

Little House on the Prairie. Not the first thing that pops to mind when discussing the career of Jason Bateman, but the very series that, in 1981, introduced the then young, wide-eyed Bateman to Hollywood; a year before his older sister Justine -- who was, for quite some time, the more famous of the two -- earned small screen stardom with Family Ties. Fast forward almost thirty-five years. Past Silver Spoons and The Hogan Family. Past Teen Wolf Too and a trio of flops in the '90s. Past a number of stints behind the camera, directing episodes of the television series of which he was a part. Past Arrested Development (may its name be praised). Past an impressive albeit hit or miss array of fan favorite comedies and affecting, award-winning dramedies, among them Dodgeball, Juno, Up in the Air and Horrible Bosses. Past each film, television show and cameo... all the way to Bad Words: the directorial debut of an older, wiser and most definitely saltier Jason Bateman.

The occasionally daring, unapologetically offensive Bad Words couldn't be farther removed from Little House on the Prairie, or, more critically, share more in common with other bad-boy dark comedies forged from the same R-rated fire. Yet despite the film's more familiar bits and pieces, a dangerously unlikable lead character, and the trappings of an at-times too-neatly contrived script, there are plenty of laughs to be had, enough surprises to keep things fresh, and the promising tempering of an unmistakably competent and capable feature film director; one who will hopefully continue to hone his craft and deliver more sucker-punch comedies in the years to come.

"Can you give these to your mother? She left those in my room last night. She was very sweet..."

Meet Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old who finds a glaring loophole in the rules of The Golden Quill national spelling bee and decides to cause trouble by hijacking the competition. Golden Quill president William Bowman (Philip Baker Hall), administrator Bernice Deagan (Allison Janney) and other contest officials, along with outraged parents and overly ambitious 8th graders, are no match for Guy, who, round after round, ruthlessly crushes their dreams of victory and fame. But as an accompanying reporter (Kathryn Hahn) gets closer and closer to discovering his true motivation, Guy finds himself forging an unlikely alliance with a competitor: awkward 10-year-old Chaitanya (Rohan Chand), a sweet boy who's completely unfazed by Guy's take-no-prisoners approach to life.

Bad Words would be an unbearably mean-spirited, heavy-handed affair if it weren't for one crucial element: a carefully constructed mystery surrounding Trilby's drive to win The Golden Quill. Guy is a terrible human being. Just awful. Deserving of every ounce of anger, hate and spit (sometimes literally) hurled in his direction. He admits as much from the outset. But beneath the snark, the apathy and the devil-may-care recklessness is an injured soul, fueled by pain so desperately hidden it begs to be drawn out and exposed. By the time the truth is laid bare (satisfying or unfulfilling as the answers may be), Bateman and screenwriter Andrew Dodge have managed the cleverest of clever tricks. Guy is suddenly... redeemable. Likeable even. Or, at the very least, deserving of some measure of empathy, no matter how horrible his actions or egregious his behavior. It's where Bad Words separates itself from lesser dark comedies, where Guy's most abhorrent antics begin to warrant forgiveness, and where Bateman strikes a brazen balance, on camera and from the director's chair. As the catalyzing force that softens Trilby's hard heart, the talented, wonderfully cast Chand is equally instrumental here, with just the right blend of precociousness and naiveté.

Adding strain to Guy and Chaitanya's friendship late in the competition incorporates one left turn too many, though, and while the payoff... erm, pays off, the needless conflict it requires -- along with the extra helping of third act sentimentality it produces -- smacks of the genre convention Bateman and Dodge have been fighting to subvert. Theirs is admittedly a very thin, very difficult line to walk; a line faced by all dark comedy scripts and directors and masterfully traversed by only a few. And it's probably best that the filmmakers err on the side of caution, even if it risks pandering to those who've already given up on Guy and alienating those who've stuck with the film and embraced its twisted sense of humor. Fortunately, Bad Words retains a clear, commanding voice throughout, something that can't be said of most R-rated comedies. The shock and severity of a joke or gag is never Bateman's endgame, and he doesn't carelessly abandon good taste without rhyme or reason. It isn't the funniest film you'll see this year, but as a rainy day rental -- or even a blind buy if you enjoy it as much as I did -- it certainly serves up its share of laughs.

Bad Words Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bad Words boasts a crisp, clean 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that holds true to Bateman and DP Ken Seng's unassuming photography and modest, post-indie intentions. The film's bookish palette isn't exactly brimming with bright splashes of color, yet skintones are natural and lifelike, primaries exhibit confidence, black levels are satisfying (though occasionally muted) and delineation is excellent. Scenes in which the Golden Quill tournament is being broadcast are much more colorful, to the point of being garish, over-saturated and prone to crush, but it's all in keeping with Bateman's aesthetic.) Detail is terrific too, with well-defined edges free of ringing and aliasing, refined textures unhindered by noise or other anomalies, and revealing close-ups. All told, Universal's encode delivers.

Bad Words Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is quite good as well, although not as remarkable as the film's video presentation. Bad Words is largely a dialogue-driven comedy, without much in the way of sonic aggression. There are semi-frequent outbursts, eruptions of music and troublemaker montages, each more enveloping than the last, but otherwise it's all rather restrained. Still, voices are intelligible and perfectly prioritized at all times, LFE output is able-bodied and assertive, rear speaker activity is suitably mischievous and the soundfield is reasonably immersive. Add to that accurate directionality, smooth pans and decidedly decent dynamics. Bad Words' lossless track stands its ground.

Bad Words Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary: A rather subdued, soft-spoken Jason Bateman delivers a scene by scene, sometimes shot for shot commentary that provides a detailed account of the production, as well as quite a bit of insight into the subtle storytelling touches he used to inject welcome depth and technique into what could have been a much more shallow, by the numbers R-rated farce. It's a somewhat dry overview, sure, but fans of the film will find it to be more than engaging, particularly since the director couldn't be more different from the character he portrays on screen.
• The Minds and Mouth Behind Bad Words (HD, 11 minutes): Though brief, this satisfying trip behind the scenes covers a surprising amount of ground, from Bateman's decision to direct to the film's script, casting and performances, improv, cinematography, music, dark humor and a variety of other stops along the way. It isn't exactly extensive but it's better than most quick-hit production featurettes.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 7 minutes): Several deleted scenes, most of them extended sequences.

Bad Words Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bateman's characters can be as off-putting as his comedies, and Guy Trilby and Bad Words are more divisive than most. Even so, the film is built around an effective mystery that works incredibly well, affording Bateman the opportunity to make Guy as bad as he likes without losing his audience before turning it all around. Guy may be the worst of the worst but, by film's end, he resembles something... human, perhaps even someone worth rooting for, or at least worthy enough for 90-minutes of laughs. Universal's Blu-ray release doesn't disappoint either, thanks to an excellent video presentation, solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and small but decent selection of extras.