Talion – the origin is Latin, tallio: (noun) the system or legal principle of making the punishment correspond to the crime; retaliation
T A L I O N, talion
Swift shot: Jason Bateman has directed his first feature film, and it is about a 40 year old man competing in a child’s spelling bee. In a warped way, Bateman, also the lead character, is the most despicable human to ever string words together to form a sentence. But, he has a pointed agenda and assumes the role of malevolent mendacious monster as only Bateman can! What is incredibly odd, is that by the end, you may be rooting for him!
Co-starring the charming diminutive Indian lad, Rohan Chand, as highly-favored competitor, Chaitanya Chopra, Bad Words is a lesson in morality, sportsmanship, and is the most vulgar film I have seen this year! The vocabulary is juxtaposed in a fashion to help set the significance of each scene. Guy Trilby (Bateman) is a genius, an execrable prodigy really, and these kids don’t stand a chance as he uses the most heinous methods at his disposal to knock out his tiny adversaries.
With Kathryn Hahn, as maladroit online journalist, Jenny Widgeon, who is given breadcrumbs by Trilby leading to why he would ever enter a contest clearly meant for children. Each round Trilby wins, as per their agreement, he will answer a new question for her story. With a strong supporting cast of Philip Baker Hall and Allison Janney, nested in the story, Bateman capitalizes on their talents in each shot.
When you think of someone like Jason Bateman, who has become a master at comedic timing, on the other side of the camera, you might worry that his impeccable dry, hilarious, pacing won’t translate as a director. You’d be wrong. If Bateman wants to direct again, I will gladly watch whatever genre he decides to tackle next.
While there are many kids in this film, this is NOT a kid’s movie! Do NOT bring your child to this film; I can’t stress that enough. Most of the comedy is adult-oriented, and Bateman (as Trilby) gets down right disgusting with his dishabille dialog. But, I found the story interesting, the acting superb, the humor kept me engaged, and the hell if I wasn’t laughing at this feculent film!
