Where that film’s thorny protagonist (antagonist?) was obscenely recognizable as a jerk, complete with a gruff appearance, a lot of the shock in “Bad Words” comes from seeing the straight laced Bateman saying the vilest things. This character is a major departure from his previous work and he sells it with a charisma that makes Trilby bizarrely tolerable.
Dodge’s script is dark comedy gold and it features a hard
thing to come by these days, an original premise. A grown adult competing
against kids in a spelling bee for an unknown motive plays as a vibrant visual
comedy and a dialogue-rich satire of the entire spelling bee process.
The spark of the film actually belongs to Bateman’s much younger co-star, Rohan Chand who’s a scene-stealer as the bright Chaitanya Chopra; an effervescent kid competing against Trilby. The dynamic between them is where a lot of the humor keeps its tempo by not overdoing the novelty of the main plotline and it has legs because of it.
The spark of the film actually belongs to Bateman’s much younger co-star, Rohan Chand who’s a scene-stealer as the bright Chaitanya Chopra; an effervescent kid competing against Trilby. The dynamic between them is where a lot of the humor keeps its tempo by not overdoing the novelty of the main plotline and it has legs because of it.
When the wrong child actor is cast in a central role, it can
have disastrous repercussions. Luckily for “Bad Words” it turned out just the
opposite. The perfectly cast Chand is so likeable, he is the only kid, one could imagine micro-warming the heart of the film’s protagonist. Meanwhile; Kathryn
Hahn, Allison Janney and Rachel Harris are all given strong moments to brandish
their comedic wit.
The film only falters in the last act with the resolution of
Trilby’s mysterious motive for his cockamamie scheme. Until, the film’s second
act it’s hard to decipher and then it tilts its hand too early and the cards
are easy to read.
That is only a small grievance, and an incredibly small one, at that. Otherwise, “Bad Words” flows with pitch perfect precision, hitting the appropriate comedic notes along the way and exploring every possible aspect of its premise.
It never loses steam or pauses in awkward lurches. The content is vulgar in a manner that clearly conveys that it is a dark comedy. Subversively fashioned, it enunciates with entertainingly loquacious zeal. Rating: 7.1/10
That is only a small grievance, and an incredibly small one, at that. Otherwise, “Bad Words” flows with pitch perfect precision, hitting the appropriate comedic notes along the way and exploring every possible aspect of its premise.
It never loses steam or pauses in awkward lurches. The content is vulgar in a manner that clearly conveys that it is a dark comedy. Subversively fashioned, it enunciates with entertainingly loquacious zeal. Rating: 7.1/10
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