Patrick Ogle
  • Books Ive Read 2023-24
  • An Explanation
  • Recent Writing Portfolio
  • Paintings & Other Art
  • History and Current Events
  • My Witty Observations (Humor)

"Bad Words" Is An Almost Good Comedy--And Most Of That Is Jason Bateman

4/5/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Bad Words is a vulgar comedic effort, directed by and starring Jason Bateman. It almost works.

Deciding whether a comedy is a "good movie" is a simpler task than deciding if an action film, a drama or a documentary meets the criteria to measure up to that elusive word "good." Or it is an easier thing for me to determine.

If I laugh more than six times in a modern comedy I consider it to be above average. If I laugh into double digits it gets near what can be called "good" (good being, after all, a relative term).

Bad Words resides, in this regard, somewhere close to "good." It relies on a couple specific things to do this--one is the time honored use of children and vulgarity and the other is Bateman. The former usually relies on children saying bad words but, in this case, it is grown ups saying mean, vulgar things to children. The latter, Bateman, is the more effective comedic weapon here.

This movie wants to be Bad Santa but it never gets that vulgar or that funny. I am writing this a few weeks after seeing it and I cannot actually recall any of the gags. I can remember specific funny bits for REALLY funny films like 21 Jump Street, This Is The End or The Other Guys--months or years later after a single viewing. This an amusing but ultimately forgettable film.

This doesn't mean everyone aside from Bateman is BAD in the movie. They are all fine. In fact, Rohan Chand, as spelling bee contestant Chaitanya Chopra acquits himself well. He does recall the neglected kid from Bad Santa--except his parents are neglecting him in an entirely different way.

Likewise the film is fairly well-paced and directed. It doesn't need some unique plot twist to make it better it simply needs to be funnier. The idea of an adult competing in a kids spelling bee is full of potential and they use some of it--an adult in this competition would have a leg up if he wanted to rattle the other contestants.  It never fully mines all the possible laughs here, whether out of timidity or good taste is hard to say. There are other side plots such as Bateman's relationship with a reporter that have funny moments but never seem fully realized comically.

It is difficult to write about things a movie doesn't do--but sometimes it seems so glaring that it begs mention. Why does the razzing only go from Bateman to the kids and only ONCE back? A "tit for tat" series of retaliations from the kids seem like an obvious way to go when writing this comedy. And the resolution, the "why" of it all is so mundane that it is almost a suprise.

Bateman can direct and he is certainly funny. But the film is a little too safe to be a new Bad Santa.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Movies

    I don't think of these as "reviews." they may seem like it sometime but they are more just...impressions.

    Categories

    All
    2014 Best Picture Nominee
    Action
    American
    Animated
    Belgian
    British
    Chile
    China
    Comedy
    Documentary
    Drama
    Egypt
    French
    German
    Horror
    Independent
    Indonesian
    Iranian
    Irish
    Italy
    Lebanese
    Science Fiction

    Picture

    Archives

    February 2020
    October 2017
    October 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010

    RSS Feed