The film that caused a stir at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival – Bad Words – has finally hit the web with its first red-band trailer.
Bad Words is a darkly comic tale of a 40 year old high school drop-out who enters a national spelling bee – much to the annoyance of children, teachers and parents alike. The film marks the highly anticipated directorial debut of actor Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, Horrible Bosses), who also takes the lead role of potty-mouthed, feather-ruffler, Guy Trilby.
Unsurprisingly, given his career longevity, Bateman has snagged an impressive supporting cast for his first time behind the movie camera, with Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, Beth Grant, Ben Falcone and Phillip Baker Hall rounding out the list. Also starring is Rohan Chand (Jack and Jill, Homeland), in what seems to be an astonishingly accomplished turn for only his third time before the cameras.
NOTE: If the film’s title doesn’t make it clear, this trailer contains some very, very bad words indeed…
Written by newcomer Andrew Dodge, Bad Words made The Black List (the best unproduced screenplays) in 2011, and found its way into the hands of Bateman, who had been searching for a directing project for many years. It was filmed over 29 days in Los Angeles at the end of 2012, before being selected to premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival as a Special Presentation on September 6th. The screening received a very positive response from audience and critics alike, which led to something of a bidding war for the global distribution rights – eventually being snapped up by Focus Features for around $7 million.
Bad Words is produced by Darko Entertainment (launched in 2007 by Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly), and Aggregate Films, which was founded by Jason Bateman and has a two year first-look production deal with Universal Pictures. Aggregate Films first production, Identity Thief, became a box office smash earlier this year, grossing over $173 million worldwide. With this kind of pedigree, hopes for Bad Words are very high indeed.
Bad Words will be released in the US on March 21st, 2014.
Published: Dec 10, 2013 10:46 am