16 Intriguing Indie Films To Watch Out For In Spring 2014

14. Bad Words

Plot: A 40-year-old high school dropout tries to win a spelling bee after finding a loophole which allows him to participate. Along the way, he befriends a young Indian boy and together, they decide to take a little walk on the wild side. Jason Bateman has made a living playing likable, "average joe" type characters. Is he starting to get tired of those roles? Bad Words, which will be his directorial debut, suggests that he is. In the film, Bateman plays a rude, foul-mouthed jerk who wants to try to win a kids' spelling bee tournament. Talk about playing "against type." Aside from Bateman, the film features Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, Phillip Baker Hall, and Rachael Harris. When it premiered in Toronto last year, the critics' reviews were mostly favorable. Variety called it "an often uproarious model of sharp scripting and spirited acting" while describing Bateman's character as being "unrepentantly nasty." Count me in. US release date: March 14th