Bad Words (7/8/2014)

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

Starring Jason Bateman, Rohan Chand, Kathryn Hahn

Directed by Jason Bateman

This film lived up to its title.

Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a 40-year old who finds a loophole in the rules of the National Quill 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 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.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I have a pretty big man-crush on Jason Batemen. So when I saw that he was starring and directing Bad Words, I knew I had to see it.

Jason Bateman has become known for a certain kind of character: The nice guy with an edge. In films like Identity Thief, The Change-Up, The Switch and even Hancock, Bateman gives his characters a healthy dash of bitterness – making them more likable and authentic.

In Bad Words, Bateman makes his directorial debut and casts himself against type. Here, he’s almost all bitterness, with perhaps a pinch of nice. In short, Guy Trilby is slubberdegullion.

Unfortunately that word is basically a synonym for villain without a conscience. Bateman’s Trilby is so rude and unpleasant that it’s hard to muster much sympathy for him. There’s humor in watching him dash the dreams of the wide-eyed spellers, but even his pranks cross lines – making it difficult to laugh at most of them. He tricks one girl into thinking she’s menstruating and convinces one young boy that he’s having an affair with his mother. He’s degrades women and has no respect for authority.

Bateman never convinces us that there’s a nice guy under all his flaws, even when we discover his motives for all the mayhem.

I wish this one was better, but with all the gross humor, I have to say “skip it.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No. Although there is very little violence (a boy kicks a man in his privates and the same boy later hits another man in the head) and no gore, the sex (both seen and much discussed), brief nudity and the language definitely earn the “R” rating.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

1. Throughout the film, Guy says some pretty mean things to the other contestants. How do you respond when people say mean things to or about you?


2. When was the last time you said something bad about someone else?

Read James 3:1-12

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.



3. What are some things James compares to the tongue?


4. How well do you do when it comes to taming your tongue?


5. What can you do this week to better tame your tongue?