Did you ever participate in a spelling bee? For most kids, it’s a good but annoying excuse to get out of class for the afternoon. Nobody really wants to win, because that means you have to compete again on a higher level. In the case of Bad Words, Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman) is making his journey to the Golden Quill National Spelling Bee personal. He is 40 years old and technically eligible for the bee because he has never passed the 8th grade. His take no prisoners attitude (plus the fact that he is a 40-year-old man competing against preteens) grates parents and competition officials alike. His media sponsor and online reporter Jenny Widgeon (Katherine Hahn) tries to figure out what his angle is for her big story, but by the time she figures out the reason for Guy’s vendetta, it’s too far to turn back.