It seems ever since 'Bad Santa' any film that features adults acting horrendously around children must have the word 'Bad' in the title. Joining 'Teacher' and 'Santa' is 'Bad Words,' which Jason Bateman directed and stars in as a 40-year-old man who competes against children in a national spelling bee.

Going by this red-band trailer, the premise of Bateman acting like a terrible human being to and around kids doesn't get old, because -- though it's unarguably transgressive -- the trailer offers some solid laughs. This mostly plays up Bateman, as he's front and center for the entire trailer, but it's worth nothing the cast is loaded with talents like Ben Falcone, Kathryn Hahn, Philip Baker Hall and Allison Janney. And with a spring release date, Focus is likely hoping to have the same magic that turned 'Identity Thief' into one of 2013's biggest comedies.

'Bad Words' opens March 21. Here's the film's synopsis:

Jason Bateman (Identity Thief) makes his feature directorial debut with the subversive comedy Bad Words. Mr. 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. As a reporter (Kathryn Hahn of We’re the Millers) attempts to discover his true motivation, Guy finds himself forging an unlikely alliance with a competitor: awkward 10-year-old Chaitanya (Rohan Chand of Homeland), who is completely unfazed by Guy’s take-no-prisoners approach to life.

Bad Words also stars Ben Falcone (Bridesmaids), Philip Baker Hall (Argo), and Allison Janney (The Help). The original screenplay is by Andrew Dodge, and the producers are Mr. Bateman, Mason Novick, Sean McKittrick and Jeff Culotta. Mr. Bateman is the director of the movie. A Focus Features and Darko Entertainment presentation of a Darko Entertainment/Aggregate Films/MXN production, Bad Words. is MPAA-rated “R” (for crude and sexual content, language, and brief nudity) and has a running time of 89 minutes.

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