Bad Words (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:

Palavrões

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$113,301, 16 March 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$7,764,027, 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 second film to star both Jason Bateman and Alison Janey. They started in Juno although they didn't share screen time. Second movie with both Jason Bateman and Beth Grant. Both appeared in the film Extract. Jason Bateman and Kathryn Hahn would later go on and star together again in This Is Where I Leave You.

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Goofs

As Guy and Jenny are driving away from the first spelling bee, a woman spits on the driver's window which sticks to that window, but it's immediately gone right after this as a man throws a folding chair at the front windshield which cracks that window.

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Quotes

Guy Trilby: Hey, Moms, let's break out the rubber pillowcases tonight. Little pricks, you're gonna be countin' tears, not sheep.

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Connections

Featured in Chelsea Lately: Episode #8.38 (2014)

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Soundtracks

Music to Fly By
Written by Dick Stephen Walter
Courtesy of APM Music

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!