Bad Teacher (2011)

Directed by: Jake Kasdan

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segal, Lucy Punch

Genre: Comedy

Rated: R

Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz), recently dumped by her sugar daddy fiancée, reluctantly returns to teaching at John Adams Middle School (lovingly called JAMS throughout the film). She has no real interest in teaching the students, showing up to class hung over and showing films all day. Then she spies the new substitute teacher, Scott Delacorte (Timberlake), who is attractive and, conveniently, an heir to a million dollar watch-making franchise. She sets out to win him over, taking on anyone in her path and completely disregarding the efforts of gym teacher, Russell (Segal), to win her affections.

Despite Diaz’s best efforts, the character of Elizabeth is simply not likable. She may have some witty moments, but for the most part, she is simply a ruthless bitch. Her goals are ridiculous and she’s mean to almost everyone. She is only slightly redeemed in the end. Scott at first comes off as sweet, nerdy and adorable, but later has a scene with Diaz that seems entirely out of character. Amy Squirrel (Punch), Elizabeth’s fellow teacher and competitor for Scott’s affections, appears caring and fun – but later shows an ugly side that makes the audience wonder which woman is the character to root for. The only character I found truly likable is Russell, the gym teacher. He was determined to have Elizabeth (though God only knows why – her looks seemed to be the only thing going for her) and he respects her.  He seems to see something in her that the audience doesn't.

The performances were all on par and done fairly well. Diaz was believable as the gold-digging, overtly sexual Elizabeth. Lucy Punch personified Ms. Squirrel, and Segal seemed to naturally fit in as the gym teacher. The only one that was out of place was Justin Timberlake as Scott – but that may just be because the character was kind of poorly written anyway. I know Timberlake can do comedy – he’s hilarious on Saturday Night Live – so this portrayal was a bit of a disappointment.  

I also felt the story was a bit scattered, and a little pointless. Not only could I not get behind the motivations of the lead character, I felt she was going nowhere. In truth, I really didn’t care what happened to her, whether she got the man she wanted or got the boob job she was saving up for.

The film did have a few laughs, which pushes it up to a higher rating. There are some great one-liners and a couple scenes where I did laugh out loud. Worth a viewing for some funny parts, but this is nothing special.

5.5/10