One of my favorite films at this year's Toronto International Film Festival is Jason Bateman's directorial debut Bad WordsAndrew Dodge’s awesome script centers on a high-school drop-out (Bateman) who uses a loophole to compete in an 8th grade spelling bee, enraging teachers and parents alike, but befriending an awkward young contestant along the way.  And while the film could easily be a family friendly, PG movie that plays it safe, I'm happy to report Bateman has crafted a wholly R-rated movie that's loaded with inappropriate dialogue and hysterical situations.  It also explains why Focus Features quickly snapped it up during an all night bidding war following the world premiere.  Bad Words also stars Kathryn Hahn, Allison Janney, Ben Falcone, Philip Baker Hall and Rohan Chandz. 

The day after the premiere I got to sit down with Bateman for an extended video interview.  He talked about the warm reception for the film, landing distribution, marketing plans, the soundtrack (which is fantastic), working with child actor Rohan Chand, deleted scenes, and more.  In addition, Bateman talked about the Horrible Bosses sequel, the audience perception of The Change-Up, and Shawn Levy's This Is Where I Leave You.  Hit the jump to watch.

Jason Bateman Time Index:

  • 0:45 – Talks about the warm reception after screening Bad Words at the Toronto International Film Festival.
  • 1:45 – Comments on landing distribution for the film and the inherent difficulties in marketing.
  • 3:30 – Talks more about marketing the film, including trailers, posters and the like.
  • 5:00 – Comments on the inclusion of a Smashing Pumpkins song in the film.
  • 6:00 – Talks about getting the rights to the Beastie Boys and The Black Keys music for the film.
  • 6:45 – Further comments on just who is involved with landing music rights for his films.
  • 7:35 – Talks about his experience directing and starring in the film and whether or not his involvement as an actor was necessary for the role.
  • 9:00 – Comments on his on-screen interaction with child actor Rohan Chand.
  • 11:30 – Talks about hopefully being able to balance acting and directing, and that he’s continuing to look at scripts.
  • 12:25 – Reveals the length of his first cut, which is only a few more minutes than the final cut.
  • 14:00 – Talks about working with director Shawn Levy on This Is Where I Leave You.
  • 16:00 – Reacts to the success of Horrible Bosses and gives updates on the sequel, which plans to shoot in L.A. starting in November.
  • 17:15 – Talks more about the audience perception of The Change-Up.

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