Bad Teacher
Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch
Directed by Jake Kasdan
Theatrical and Unrated Versions
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 2011
97 minutes
Although the fundraiser car wash scene says differently, Cameron Diaz is getting a bit long in the tooth to be playing the single gal on the make. That and the cliché depiction of teachers make Bad Teacher a bit hard to swallow. Bad Teacher is not enjoyable enough but nobody seems to have really put an effort into it. This comedy is rated R for nudity and language that is there just because it was easier.
Diaz plays Elizabeth Halsey. Halsey is more than happy to quite teaching after her first year at John Adams Middle School. She is then dumped by her rich groom to be and finds herself back in front of a seventh grade classroom. Running out of options in terms of rich future husbands, she sets her sights on substitute teacher and rich scion Scott (Timberlake) and totally ignores the advances of phys ed. teacher Russell (Jason Segel). She also makes an enemy out of eager beaver teacher Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch)
Halsey thinks she needs a bigger set of boobs to get a new beau and those cost 9,783 dollars. She works hard to save up for them and then learns there is a cash award for the teacher whose students score highest in the state exam. Can you say instant motivation?
This is where Bad Teacher kicks it up and gets much funnier. The war between Amy Squirrel and Halsey is fun to watch develop. The conclusion is a bit surprising.
Special features for Bad Teacher are Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Way Behind the Scenes with Jason and Justin, and a feature on the car wash scene.