★★★★★

Apparently Jason Bateman’s a damn fine director. In fact, I’d argue he’s a better director than actor. When Bateman proclaimed he’d been performing for twenty years with the sole intention of getting into directing, I was more than a little intrigued. Could Jason Bateman, star of some of the most overrated Jason Reitman dramas of recent times, successfully direct a feature?

In a word: yes.

When foul-mouthed forty-year old Guy Trilby (Bateman) spots a loophole that allows him to take part in the Golden Quill Spelling Bee, he decides to go for gold…along with a bunch of bemused 10-year olds. He is accompanied by journalist Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn) and later befriended by fellow contestant Chaitanya Chopra (Rohan Chand), both of whom take a liking to him. Shameless sabotage, parental persecution and an unexpected twist follow, leaving one feeling supremely satisfied with Bateman’s barnstormer.

One would be hard pressed to find fault with Bateman’s indie debut: it is rich in content, potent in vulgarity and unpredictable in narrative. In other words, a gamble. Did it pay off? Hardly. The film made below three quarters of its $10m budget. And the reviews? Sadly, mixed. This may have been due to the black comedy’s unusually dark sense of humour: easily one of its strengths. Perhaps audiences were shocked or confused at the profanity exercised in front of several preteens by a largely unlikable lead character? A shame, really.

Bateman appears to be part of a recent division of actors-turned-directors: think Josh Radnor, John Turturro and Jon Favreau. However, unlike the aforementioned actor/directors (barring Radnor) it is this critic’s belief that Bateman is headed toward auteurship status. Thus far, Bad Words is undoubtedly this year’s finest indie and I predict a successful directorial career from the man.

A must-watch.

Reviewed by Rehan Mudannayake