I can't quite put my finger on it, but the reemergence of Jason Bateman as a leading man, particularly in comedies, has been really great. Bateman has come a long way since TEEN WOLF TOO, making a hilarious splash in films like DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY, JUNO, UP IN THE AIR, HORRIBLE BOSSES, and of course, Arrested Development. He's kind of the perfect "everyman" although he can play a good "bad" guy as well. With BAD WORDS, his directorial debut, he seems to taking on the hybrid of both, starring as a "spelling bee loser" who is on a course for revenge by competing as an adult.
Spell "autofellatio":
Here's the synopsis:
Jason Bateman (Identity Thief) makes his feature directorial debut with the subversive comedy Bad Words. Mr. Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old who finds a loophole in the rules of The Golden Quill national 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 (Kathryn Hahn of We're the Millers) 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.
As a fan of Bateman's, I'll definitely give this a go. I've heard from a few folks who've seen the film (including our own review) that it's absolutely hilarious As an R-rated comedy with a heavy use of poetic profanity it makes for an easy sell, too. Toss in Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, and Philip Baker Hall and you've got some good folks to usher in a foul-mouthed revenge comedy.
BAD WORDS hits theaters on March 28, 2014.