Bad Words is a subversive comedy in which Jason Bateman plays Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old who finds a loophole in the rules of The Golden Quill national spelling bee and decides to cause trouble by hijacking the competition. Contest officials, outraged parents, and overly ambitious 8th graders are no match for Guy, as he ruthlessly crushes their dreams of victory and fame. As a reporter (Hahn) attempts to discover his true motivation, Guy finds himself forgoing an unlikely alliance with a competitor: awkward 10-year-old Chaitanya (Chand), who is completely unfazed by Guy's take-no-prisoners approach to life. (Gary Reber)
Special features include commentary with Director/Actor Jason Bateman, deleted and extended scenes (HD 06:37), the featurette The Minds And Mouths (HD 10:32), upfront previews, BD-Live functionality, and an UltraViolet digital copy.
The 2.40:1 1080p AVC picture, photographed in the Panavision Digital Imaging format, is nicely filmic, with a warm appearance that exhibits golden hues throughout. Saturation is at times strong, with rich hues and satisfying blacks, which at times appear a bit muted. The actual Golden Quill televised set is effectively colorful. Fleshtones are naturally hued throughout. Resolution is excellent, with fine detail revealed throughout, especially in close-ups. Overall, this is a very satisfying visual experience that won't disappoint. (Gary Reber)
The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is dialogue focused throughout, accompanied by a nicely presented musical score that provides subtle surround envelopment. Atmospherics and sound effects, which heighten the confrontation segments, are generally restrained in terms of surround energy. Dialogue is consistently intelligible, with generally good spatial integration. This is a nicely recorded soundtrack, with excellent fidelity and frontal presence. (Gary Reber)