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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
Reviews
Popularity
4,951 ( 1,037)
2 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards »

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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 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
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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. Written by Sophia Canoni

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

The end justifies the mean.

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crude and sexual content, language and brief nudity | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason Bateman's favorite movie of his own See more »

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. See more »

Quotes

Guy Trilby: You sleep good dickhead?
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Soundtracks

Pan American
Performed by Morrie Morrison Orchestra
Written by Ken Morrison
Courtesy of Crucial Music Corporation
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User Reviews

 
Off-color, refreshing, and gutsy
25 June 2014 | by ganpier218See all my reviews

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!


42 of 62 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 2014 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Bad Words See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$113,301, 16 March 2014

Gross USA:

$7,779,614

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,804,337
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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