Bad Words appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-Ray Disc. The movie came with positive visuals.
Sharpness was mostly strong. The occasional slightly soft shot materialized, but those instances remained rare, so the majority of the flick came across as accurate and well-defined. No shimmering or jaggies popped up, and I saw no edge haloes or print flaws.
Colors tended toward teal, amber and orange, with a heavy emphasis on amber/orange. Within those stylistic choices, the hues seemed fine. Blacks seemed dark and tight, while shadows were smooth and clear. This became a solid presentation.
As for the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it seemed lackluster, mainly due to a complete lack of sonic ambition. Music showed nice stereo imaging, but effects came across with little presence. Some scenes showed minor accentuation of environmental elements – such as crowd noise - but these don’t bring much to the package.
Audio quality seemed fine. Music was warm and full, while dialogue sounded natural and concise. Effects had little to do, but they remained accurate enough. This was a low-key soundtrack.
As we shift to extras, we locate an audio commentary with director/actor Jason Bateman. In this running, screen-specific chat, he discusses story/characters, cast and performances, editing and cut scenes, music, sets and locations, and related topics.
For the most part, Bateman offers a good look at the film. He does fade at times and leave a few dead spots, but those seem fairly infrequent. Overall Bateman covers the movie in a reasonably satisfying manner.
Seven Deleted and Extended Scenes fill a total of six minutes, 37 seconds. Most of these offer brief additions that don’t make the sequences better – indeed, most fare worse with the extra footage. I do like the totally new segment in which Dr. Deagan resigns – it’s unnecessary for the film but it’s funny.
The Minds and Mouths of Bad Words runs 10 minutes, 32 seconds and includes comments from Bateman, writer Andrew Dodge, and actors Allison Janney, Rachael Harris, Kathryn Hahn, Philip Baker Hall, Ben Falcone and Rohan Chand. “Mouths” looks at Bateman’s desire to direct and what attracted him to the film, story/character areas, cast and performances, and Bateman’s approach to the material. Despite the clip’s brevity, it works pretty well as an overview.
The disc opens with ads for Walk of Shame, Wish I Was Here, The Fluffy Movie, The Signal and A Haunted House 2. Previews adds promos for The World’s End, For a Good Time, Call…, Beginners, Moonrise Kingdom, A Haunted House and Hit & Run. No trailer for Words appears here.
Despite occasionally miscalculations, Bad Words usually provides a pretty entertaining character piece. It expands beyond its wacky premise to deliver a witty tale. The Blu-ray offers solid picture with adequate audio and a mostly informative commentary. Dark but enjoyable, Bad Words offers a good “black comedy”.