Jason Bateman has been in a bit of a rut. A successful rut, but a rut nonetheless. Ever since he graduated from child star to adult actor in Arrested Development, Bateman has made a career from playing the flummoxed adult surrounded by a sea of over-grown children. The nadir of this particular characterization came with the very un-funny Identity Thief.

So it’s a bit refreshing to see Bateman finally step out of that box he’s gotten so comfortable in with his feature film directorial debut. Bad Words tells the story of Guy Trilby, an angry man who is hellbent on getting himself into a national spelling bee meant for kids under 13 years of age. And through a loophole in the rules, Guy has insinuated himself into the competition despite the protests of parents and organizers alike. Guy is also being accompanied by a reporter who wants to tell his story, but can’t seem to pry any information from him about why he needs to do this.

Bad Words sets Guy up as an awful person who seemingly has no reason for getting into the spelling bee except to exploit the loophole. He finds himself reluctantly befriended by a boy named Chaitanya (Rohan Chand) who seems to genuinely like Guy, but like Guy there may be more to Chaitanya than meets the eye. The film, which should be Bateman’s vehicle except Guy is so awful (his nickname for Chaitanya is “Slumdog”), really succeeds on the charm and megawatt smile of Chand. He’s so adorable that you feel totally gutted with a late twist revelation.

For his part, Bateman seems to relish his new role, cursing with abandon and you have to wonder sometimes if what he’s saying is funny, offensive, or funny because it’s offensive. Half of my screening audience didn’t seem to be sure themselves if it was okay to laugh or not.

Bateman has filled the movie with familiar faces including Kathryn Hahn, Philip Baker Hall, Ben Falcone, Beth Grant, Rachel Harris and Allison Janney (in quite the horrific wig). The script takes the premise and runs with it, offering some real belly-laughs and some cringe-worthy moments, and it almost falls apart at the end when it threatens to get just a bit too schmaltzy. Bateman does keep things moving at a brisk pace, balancing the absurd with the real moments of humanity.

Bad Words may not fall into the category of great R-rated comedies like Animal House or Bridesmaids, but it’s much better than some of the recent movies that have claimed to be comedies.

This contest is now closed. Winners will be notified by email. Please follow @CliqueClack on Twitter for contest alerts, news and reviews.

CliqueClack has partnered with Focus Features and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the Baltimore and DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new comedy Bad Words starring Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand, Ben Falcone, Philip Baker Hall and Allison Janney.

Bateman stars as 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. Guy zealously plays to win the prize money at stake, outpacing the pre-teen field in match after match. Guy is aided and abetted in qualifying for the matches by reporter Jenny Widgeon (Hahn), who has the exclusive rights to Guy’s story and has liaisons with her subject. Guy rudely steps up his game to embarrass and outwit the competition’s imperious chief Dr. Bowman (Hall) and administrator Dr. Deagan (Janney), who are intent on having him eliminated from the field.

The screenings will take place on Tuesday, March 18, 7:00 PM at the following locations:

• Regal Gallery Place, 707 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
• Cinemark Egyptian, 7000 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, MD

Please read and follow the instructions below.

• Leave a comment on this post with either the words WASHINGTON or HANOVER (spelling counts!). Do not use the word in a sentence.
• Include your full name and correct email address in the appropriate spaces. Entries with incomplete information will be discarded.
• If you submit your comment and find a mistake, DO NOT EDIT the comment. Submit a new one. Only original comments are received at contest HQ.
• Winners will be selected by random drawing on Sunday, March 16 and notified by email.
• You may enter once a day between Monday, March 10 and Saturday, March 15, but you can only win one pair of passes. Contest will close at 11:59 PM, March 15.

Please note that passes do not guarantee you seats at the screening. Seating is first come, first served so plan to arrive early. CliqueClack has no control over the total number of passes distributed for this event and is not responsible for seating at the theater.

Have a look at the trailer below and then let us know where you want to see the film. Bad Words is rated R and opens in theaters on March 21. No one under the age of 17 will be admitted to the screening without a parent or guardian.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMO7sBxE-4Q