Szkola zycia (2013)

A spelling bee loser sets out to exact revenge by finding a loophole and attempting to win as an adult.

Director:

Jason Bateman

Writer:

Andrew Dodge

Stars:

Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Bateman	...	Guy Trilby
Kathryn Hahn	...	Jenny Widgeon
Rohan Chand	...	Chaitanya Chopra
Philip Baker Hall	...	Dr. Bowman
Allison Janney	...	Dr. Bernice Deagan
Ben Falcone	...	Pete Fowler
Steve Witting	...	Proctor at Spelling Bee
Beth Grant	...	Bedazzled Judge
Gwen Parden	...	Brace Faced Girl
Anjul Nigam	...	Sriram Chopra
Allan Miller	...	Bald Glasses Judge
Bob Stephenson	...	Bill Murhoff
Patricia Belcher	...	Ingrid
Matthew Zhang	...	Braden Aftergood
Madison Hu	...	Ling Quan

Storyline

An adult, who has been a school dropout, finds a loophole in the regulations and participates in the largest spelling bee in the USA, The Golden Quill. His aim is to take revenge for something done to him in the past.

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Plot Keywords:

spelling bee | spelling | two word title | directed by star | indian american | 

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Taglines:

The end justifies the mean.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crude and sexual content, language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Szkola zycia

Filming Locations:

Sportsmen's Lodge - 12825 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$113,301 (USA) (14 March 2014)

Gross:

$7,764,027 (USA) (16 May 2014)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aggregate Films, Darko Entertainment, Digital Image Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The screenplay was featured in the 2011 "Blacklist"--a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year.

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Goofs

In the extended scene where Guy pretends to have hit Chaitanya with his car, he squirts ketchup on the bumper of the car, as well as Chaitanya's face, to look like blood. When he picks Chaitanya up and puts him in the car a few minutes later, the bumper of the car is clean.

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Quotes

Chaitanya Chopra: Do you remember your winning word? I'm Chaitanya, remember?
Guy Trilby: I can't do it again, Shwarma.
Chaitanya Chopra: Chaitanya. How about just your favorite word?
Guy Trilby: I'm serious pal.
Chaitanya Chopra: You don't have one?
Guy Trilby: I don't; nope. Sorry.
Chaitanya Chopra: Mine is subjugate. It just sounds so cool, you know? Subjugate. Subjugate. Subjugate. What's yours?
Guy Trilby: How about 'shut the fuck up?'
Chaitanya Chopra: Well, that's four words - a sentence, really.

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Connections

References The Honeymooners (1955)

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Soundtracks

Live from Hollywood
Performed by Tom Merriman
Written by Tom Merriman
Courtesy of Crucial Music Corporation

User Reviews

Off-color, refreshing, and gutsy

I feel compelled to review this because I believe some took this movie too personally, and thus rated it poorly.

If you are easily offended, you might be shocked or uncomfortable on several occasions. If you understand this is an artistic work of fiction, or if you like dark, sinister comedy, you can laugh at how this movie relentlessly pummels you with awkward moments. My advice is to cast away your moral standings in reality, and try see this movie from another perspective.

To be vague, it turns out there's a method to the madness towards the end. And for me, the underlying message made it worthwhile. Jason Bateman was incredibly convincing in this role!