If I could use my own "bad word" to describe this movie, it'd be shit, just mediocre shit. Starring Jason Bateman playing the antihero for once, and some other people who you'll probably recognize but can't quite think of their names, try to get yourself into the story of a forty-year-old middle school dropout who gets into a national spelling bee (but not The National Spelling Bee) through a loophole.
The movie starts out on pretty rough footing, and it never really gets past that, but it does become more interesting as it goes on. I'm not going to spoil anything, in case you decide to watch it, but I will say that it does have a very standard layout; the bad-ish guy with a secret soft spot, the little kid who tries to befriend him, and of course, the love interest (but the complicated chemistry that would have made this work for the movie just wasn't really there).
The humor isn't for everyone- racist jokes and even a few comedic sex scenes run abundant in this film- but Jason Bateman actually pulls it off and makes it laughable, as he usually does. The jokes and antics shown in this film becomes more shocking and ridiculous just to keep this confusing and unrealistic story moving along. They even have to resort to a slapstick climax to keep your attention.
Some of the plot and character development becomes jumbled as it progresses, or even forgotten. That annoying kid suddenly becomes his friend, Allison Janney gives little more a cameo, and suddenly this Guy Trilby (yes, Jason Bateman plays a guy named Guy) is not the asshole he seemed to be. And other things feel like it was ripped-off from something else, like Akeala and the Bee and even a scene from American Dad, for those of you die-hard AD fans like me who've seen the episode where Steve competes in a spelling bee.
Jason Bateman, like I said, did pull it off, with a solid performance and a great deadpan delivery when needed. And there are a few good moments that make this movie passable, but not enough to be worth a nine-dollar movie ticket.
VERDICT: 2/5
No comments:
Post a Comment