Bad Teacher: Movie Review

Bad Teacher: Movie Review

Bad Teacher
Rating: 4/10
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch
Director: Jake Kasdan
You'd think a raunchy comedy involving Cameron Diaz as an apathetic, pot smoking, drinking and uncaring teacher would be a natural sequel to Billy Bob Thornton's Bad Santa.
But I'm sorry to say this film is probably about as far away from that as you can get.
Diaz plays Elizabeth Halsey, a just retired teacher at a school, who's dumped by her fiancee after she's accused of gold digging by her would be mom-in-law. So facing a lack of cash and determined to get $10,000 for a boob job so she can net a sugar daddy, Halsey heads back to middle school and tries to cruise by and simply earn the cash she needs for surgery.
When Justin Timberlake's Scott Delacorte starts up as a supply teacher alongside Elizabeth, she senses he's got a bit of cash to splash and an inheritance to dig her claws into.
But what she's not reckoned with is Lucy Punch's uptight co-worker and all round do gooder teacher Amy Squirrel whose natural perkiness (both physically and on the job) just seems to get up Halsey's nose....
Throw into the mix Jason Segel's gym teacher, Russell who's got a crush on Halsey and it's a case of problems ahoy in the classroom.
Vulgar and crude can work - and in some parts of this film, it is laugh out loud funny as the foulest things come out of sweet looking Cameron Diaz's mouth - but there's little else on show in this "comedy" which exploits Diaz's sleazy looks and body for "laughs". (There's even a scene with Diaz wearing very short shorts and hosing herself down at a charity car wash while a rock song plays loudly in the background.)
Don't get me wrong, this has its moments and Segal, Diaz and Timberlake get by on the screen but the laughs in this flat comedy are few and far between - sure, there are some great one liners which cause mirth but it's not enough to get you through the film without it feeling like it's sagging. Diaz works as hard as she can but she can't save it - and really, who's rooting for a dumped, disdainful and selfish character whose prime motivation is simply a boob job....?

By now, you've probably come to the conclusion that I'm a prude with no sense of humour;I'd like to strongly assure you that is not so but I did end up feeling like Bad Teacher was a really missed opportunity; sure for the teen audience, and mainly young lads, this is probably high on their watching list.