Guy Trilby (played by Jason Bateman) is a 40-year old man who discovers a loophole in a regional spelling bee contest, allowing him to compete again children and win. Insulting any and everybody every chance he gets, he actually manages to advance to the national contest which will be held in Los Angeles. Jenny Widgeon, a reporter (played by Kathryn Hahn) follows him in order to figure out why he is interested in competing against children. While in L.A., Guy unexpectedly befriends a younger contestant who is pressured by his dad to win. And hijinks ensue.
This film marks the directorial debut of Jason Bateman, so you know this was a particularly special project for him. He actually showed up at our screening in person for a Q&A session which was really cool too!
I think Bateman is very talented, showing off his acting and directing chops alike. I like how he can play sympathetic characters just as well as he can play complete douchebags. The character Guy is the latter in this film. The concept was interesting and a little different so I wanted to see where it would go. I really liked child actor Rohan Chand who plays spelling prodigy Chaitanya Chopra. He has good comedic timing and I thought he worked with Jason Bateman really well. Their chemistry was enjoyable and he was involved in some of the funniest moments in the film. I look forward to his future works.
The movie also features Kathryn Hahn and she almost always plays an outrageous character of some sort. This film was no exception though it takes a while to build up to it.
There were a few clever moments and very funny plays on words. There were some notable scenes that aren’t for the easily offended and further justify the R-rating beyond the language. Though there are plenty of kids in the film, I wonder if their parents would actually let them view it as a whole. Maybe they should when they’re older… I wondered if they even knew what they were doing at the time.
As for Guy himself, I never really found him likable. He has his reasons for being the way that he is, but that doesn’t necessarily excuse his behavior. I could see the audience finding him off-putting. Since the character provides a healthy dose of laughs the movie remains entertaining anyway.
All in all, this is not a film for everybody, but Bateman fans in particular should enjoy it.