History Film / BadWords

* TheEndingChangesEverything

* ChildrenAreInnocent: While Chaitanya deduces the meaning of word "autofellatio", he didn't know the word before Guy said it to him and never does grasp the sexual meaning of it. He also tells Guy, while stating his intent to defeat him in the tournament, "[[AccidentalInnuendo I'm totally gonna bust your nut!]]"

"Bad Words" is a 2014 BlackComedy [[DirectedByCastMember starring and directed by]] Creator/JasonBateman.

Guy Trilby manages to qualify himself for the children's Golden Quill SpellingBee competition, with the objective of making it to the National Spelling Bee. The problem with this is that he's an ''adult,'' 40 years old at the time he attempts this plan. Despite initial opposition and [[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime his own better judgment]], he manages to get in on a technicality with the help of a reporter of an internet news site, Jenny Widgeon (played by Kathryn Hahn). After winning that tournament and the next two subsequent, he makes it to the National Spelling Bee.

* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler:Guy and Chaitanya. They both have distant fathers who they're attempting to get attention from.]]

* {{Adorkable}}:
** Chaitanya, non-stop.
** Also Jenny.

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler: Chaitanya befriending Guy is one that's banking on the latter growing so affectionate to the former that Guy would let Chaitanya win the competition. It falls apart when Guy overhears it and chews Chaitanya out. Their relationship gets better, though.]]
* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler: Chaitanya actually starts to see Guy as his friend - his OnlyFriend ever, in fact - when he at first intended to manipulate him [[WellDoneSonGuy at his father's behest]].]]

* BlackAndGreyMorality: Guy is far from the most sympathetic character on the block, [[spoiler: but compare him to his father Dr. Bowman.]]

* BrickJoke: Guy mentions that he had a mini toy car which he would pretend to chase bad guys with. [[spoiler: At the end, Guy purchases a police cruiser with his half of the winnings and invites Chaitanya to chase down "bad guys" i.e, boys who were bullying Chaitanya.]]

* CompanionCube: T.O.D.D is one to Chaitanya [[spoiler: which is why he was devastated when Guy burned "him".]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler: Guy alludes to it numerous times; [[DisappearedDad he never knew his father]], and his mother "cussed a lot," moved around a lot to dodge rent preventing Guy from really having any friends, and when he signed up for his first spelling bee his mother [[AbusiveParents burned his favorite dictionary]]. As a result he acted out in school, by which the counselor of the school during his eighth grade year called him a useless loser [[note]](though, admittedly, after Guy had stolen his bike and shaved his cat)[[/note]]. As a result, Guy dropped out of school and never made it past the eighth grade as a result of it.]]

* DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler: Neither Chaitanya nor his father thought that Chaitanya would grow that same affection back - and Chaitanya splits half his money with Guy as a result of it.]]

* DisappearedDad: Guy's father [[spoiler: Dr. Bowman.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Guy tricks Chaitanya into winning the spelling bee after realizing how ill-thought out his revenge plan was, the duo reconcile with Chaitanya giving his half of the reward money to Guy, he also reconciles with Dr. Bowman, and is implied to have started a relationship with Jenny. He then buys a police cruiser with his half and him and Chaitanya chase bullies with their car.]]

--> '''Chaitanya''': "Not everything is about winning."

** The narration is one long heel realization from Guy as he goes over how ill-thought out his plan was. [[spoiler: Also at the end, before Guy tricks Chaitanya into winning the bee, he sees the latter's father ready to be disappointed in him if he loses.]]
** [[spoiler: Chaitanya has one as well, even before Guy chews him out. It leads to Chaitanya attempting to throw the spelling bee for Guy, so the kid could have his only friend back.]]
* InLoveWithTheMark: [[spoiler: Chaitanya isn't in love with Guy. However, his father wanted Guy to become attached to the kid so Guy would throw the spelling bee for him, and Chaitanya went along with it [[WellDoneSonGuy to please his father]]. But then he and Guy became legitimate friends - the OnlyFriend Chaitanya has ever made, in fact - which makes Guy's reaction all the more devastating when he finds out about it.]]

* IntergenerationalFriendship: Guy Trilby and Chitanya Chopra, who are 40 and 10 respectively.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Guy proves himself to be this over time. [[spoiler: Especially in the end, when the throws the spelling bee via LoopholeAbuse after he sees Chaitanya's father would be disappointed in the kid if Chaitanya lost.]]

* LoopholeAbuse: How Guy's even in the spelling bees to begin with. [[spoiler: Later used by Guy in order to disqualify himself and let Chaitanya win]]
* MoodWhiplash: After kicking Guy [[GroinAttack in the balls]], Chaitanya picks up a chair and accidentally hits Dr. Bowman with it. [[spoiler: The signal then cuts out after several seconds of stunned silence, complete with color bars and an old-timey "Please Stand By" card with muzak. [[StylisticSuck Then it keeps cutting randomly between the Spelling Bee, commercials for the channel and the color bars]].]]
* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler: Guy and Chaitanya. They both have distant fathers who they're attempting to get attention from.]]

** [[spoiler: Guy's plan is to get into the nationals in order to embarrass his DisappearedDad Dr. Bowman and destroy the legacy of his spelling bee.]]
** Also [[spoiler: There's Chaitanya's dad's plan to get Chaitanya to befriend Guy so that the latter would throw the spelling bee.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Guy's dad is Dr. Bowman, the head of the organization running the Golden Quill tournament. In a deathbed confession, Guys mom told him that Bowman ran off when Guy's mother told him she was pregnant. The entire reason Guy is at the tournament to begin with is to humiliate his father and destroy the integrity of his spelling bee to get back at him.]]
** Also [[spoiler: Chaitanya only pretending to be friends with Guy so that he'd deliberately blow it and let him win.]]
* {{Revenge}}: Of the non-violent sort, [[spoiler: but that's essentially the entire reason Guy is at that particular spelling bee in the first place. He even planned to appear on it during it's first televised competition, just to ruin [[DisappearedDad his father's]] pet project.]]
* RidingIntoTheSunset: [[spoiler: Driving after bullies in a police cruiser.]]

* SeriousBusiness: Spelling bees. TruthInTelevision as some kids and parents study intensely [[spoiler: also applies to Guy, but for different reasons.]]

* TemptingFate: Dr. Bernice Janning tells the crowd complaining to her about Guy's participation in the spelling bee that she would abdicate her position if he made it to the final round. But then he does. [[spoiler: She doesn't quit, but it's revealed that she tampered with the list of words, deliberately giving Guy exceedingly long words compared to the other competitors, and she's removed anyway.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: Dr. Bernice Janning spends most of her screentime being a complete ass, most especially to the word announcer at the competition. [[spoiler: When she refuses to quit after Guy makes it to the final round, said word announcer reveals that he can prove she altered the word list to stack the deck against Guy, leading to her being fired anyway.]]

** [[spoiler: Also, the reason Chaitanya goes along with the plan is to please his father.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: Guy gives one to [[spoiler: Chaitanya, when he finds out about Chaitanya's plan to pretend to be friends with him.]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler: "Well, there's a part in there about me being your son." ]]

** [[spoiler:Guy also does this to Chaitanya's father, one he overhears their Batman Gambit.]]

* {{Adorkable}}: Chaitanya, non-stop.

** DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler: Neither Chaitanya nor his father thought that Chaitanya would [[InLoveWithTheMark grow that same affection back]] - and Chaitanya splits half his money with Guy as a result of it.]]

* BlackAndGreyMorality: Guy is far from the most sympathetic character on the block, [[spoiler: but compare him to his father [[DisappearedDad Dr. Bowman.]]]]

* CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler:Guy's whole plan is to stick it to his [[DisappearedDad father who abandoned him,]] Dr. Bowman.]]
** [[spoiler:Guy also does this to Chaitanya's father, one he overhears their BatmanGambit.]]

* ChildrenAreInnocent: While Chaitanya deduces the meaning of word "autofellatio", he didn't know the word before Guy said it to him and never does grasp the sexual meaning of it.
** He also tells Guy, while stating his intent to defeat him in the tournament, "[[AccidentalInnuendo I'm totally gonna bust your nut!]]"

* GroinAttack: The duo put a lobster in a toilet and run away as a man comes out with the lobster pinching his balls.

* HeelRealization: The narration is one long heel realization from Guy as he goes over how ill-thought out his plan was. [[spoiler: Also at the end, before Guy tricks Chaitanya into winning the bee, he sees the latter's father ready to be disappointed in him if he loses.]]

** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Guy proves himself to be this over time. [[spoiler: Especially in the end, when the throws the spelling bee via LoopholeAbuse after he sees Chaitanya's father [[WellDoneSonGuy would be disappointed in the kid]] if Chaitanya lost.]]

* MoodWhiplash: After kicking Guy [[GroinAttack in the balls]], Chaitanya picks up a chair and accidently hits Dr. Bowman with it. [[spoiler: The signal then cuts out after several seconds of stunned silence, complete with color bars and an old-timey "Please Stand By" card with muzak. [[StylisticSuck Then it keeps cutting randomly between the Spelling Bee, commercials for the channel and the color bars]].]]
* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted. During the plane scene, it is implied that Jenny has a menstrual cup inserted. Guy refuses to get up when Jenny needs to go to the bathroom, but then tells her not to "drag that thing across me" because "you said it's full".

* ThePlan: [[spoiler: Guy's plan is to get into the nationals in order to embarrass his DisappearedDad Dr. Bowman and destroy the legacy of his spelling bee.]]

* WellDoneSonGuy: [[spoiler:The reason Guy's doing the spelling bee to begin with is to get back at his father: Dr. Bowman. Though their relationship gets better.]]

Guy Trilby manages to qualify himself for the children's Golden Quill spelling bee competition, with the objective of making it to the National Spelling Bee. The problem with this is that he's an ''adult,'' 40 years old at the time he attempts this plan. Despite initial opposition and [[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime his own better judgment]], he manages to get in on a technicality with the help of a reporter of an internet news site, Jenny Widgeon (played by Kathryn Hahn). After winning that tournament and the next two subsequent, he makes it to the National Spelling Bee.