Sunday, September 15, 2013

1909 - Bad Words


I have a big place in my heart for inappropriate and dark comedy, and this filled it right up.  Jason Bateman's directorial debut has him playing a 40-year old man who has found a loophole to allow him to compete in a national high school spelling bee competition - the reason for which I won't spoil here.
The jokes are fast and funny and anyone studying the writing of comedy would do well to study this film for that alone.  The timing, callbacks and plot reversals are super strong and keep the film flowing without a dull moment through-out.
I can only imagine we'll be seeing this in a wide-release, so I don't want to give away any of it's shining moments.  If I had to make a critique the film could have, maybe, had a tinge more substance and message - although I think on a second viewing I might find I was enjoying myself too much to really notice that it was already there.
This film is a real crowd pleaser, and if you like your comedy dark, this is the place to be.

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