Bad Words

There are plenty of bad words you can say about Bad Words, as long as you make sure and spell them correctly.

Combine that title with an opening line of narration that reads, “I’m not that good at a lot of things,” and Jason Bateman gives pundits plenty of avenues for cheap potshots about his probably polarizing directorial debut.

In reality, Bateman’s edgy satire of youth competition films — such as the crazy appeal of spelling bees — is more of an audacious misfire in which his filmmaking potential is undermined by a wildly uneven script.

He stars as Guy, a bitter 40-year-old who finds a loophole in the rules that allows him to enter the Golden Quill national spelling bee, much to the chagrin of the contest organizer (Allison Janney), who becomes powerless to throw him out.

Despite the intense criticism over his challenging middle schoolers and making no secret of his attempt to hijack the title, Guy passes every test. He meets a reporter (Kathryn Hahn) who wants to chronicle his story, but won’t reveal the true intention behind his vengeful scheme. He also forms an unlikely friendship with a socially awkward 10-year-old (Rohan Chand), a fellow competitor who doesn’t buy into his intellectual bullying.

Bateman and rookie screenwriter Andrew Dodge have some level of ambition in their attempt to poke fun at the sanctity of the pageant culture that fosters these elementary school contests, and in particular the overzealous parents whose oblivious sense of entitlement causes them to exploit their children as a trade-off for the social status that comes with winning.

That’s a broad target, one that the film essentially reduces to a one-joke premise. It offers a different path to familiar territory, as Bad Words builds toward an inevitable reveal of the motives behind Guy’s actions, which lacks a sufficient payoff.

Bateman’s performance is more than just insults and vulgarity, as the script features a caustic array of sight gags and one-liners that strains to avoid cheap sympathy. Meanwhile, Chand (Lone Survivor) is expressive and shows a precocious knack for comic timing.

Yet the film backs itself into a corner when it must choose between either being relentlessly nasty or suddenly heartwarming. By opting mostly for the former, it jettisons much chance of generating sympathy, and that spells trouble.

Rated R, 89 minutes.