The concept behind this film -- that an adult hatches a plan to enter a spelling bee because of a technicality he finds in the rules -- is clever. It would allow a plot to be spun out about the people trying to get him kicked out legally or illegally, his tactics to stay in, etc.
The problem is the foul language and the basic nastiness of the movie to the point where my wife and I almost walked out.
In the first place, our "hero" (who apparently is a good enough speller to win the bee on his merits) goes way beyond simply using a technicality to be eligible to compete. Rather, he uses cruel and crude tactics to disqualify other contestants. This is supposed to be a "comedy," so we are supposed to be laughing at this. Sadly, a few people in the theater were laughing (when they weren't texting their friends).
And then there is the language. There's got to be a difference between using foul language in a movie for emphasis or to simulate the real world, but in this case the writers simply said, "Let's put as much potty talk in as we can for no other reason than to give a double meaning to the title." Add in some casual sex. Add in taking one of the contestants our hero befriends to a bar and slipping him drinks under the table.
My advice: don't go to this movie, and don't go to the next one made by the same director
The problem is the foul language and the basic nastiness of the movie to the point where my wife and I almost walked out.
In the first place, our "hero" (who apparently is a good enough speller to win the bee on his merits) goes way beyond simply using a technicality to be eligible to compete. Rather, he uses cruel and crude tactics to disqualify other contestants. This is supposed to be a "comedy," so we are supposed to be laughing at this. Sadly, a few people in the theater were laughing (when they weren't texting their friends).
And then there is the language. There's got to be a difference between using foul language in a movie for emphasis or to simulate the real world, but in this case the writers simply said, "Let's put as much potty talk in as we can for no other reason than to give a double meaning to the title." Add in some casual sex. Add in taking one of the contestants our hero befriends to a bar and slipping him drinks under the table.
My advice: don't go to this movie, and don't go to the next one made by the same director