Review - Bad Teacher

Bad, But Good While Being Bad

First things first; even before I start in on a review of Bad Teacher I must say, there are NO redeeming characters here.

Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) is a teacher that is on her way out. She’s found that special man; the one with lots of money. But when he comes to the realization that she is only using him for his money, the relationship is over and it’s back to school for Halsey.

Going back to the one place she didn’t want to go leads her to master her teaching techniques. There is a constant stream of videos that await the kids in her middle school class and more dealing with hangovers than grades as she searches for her next sugar daddy.

But this year she has someone watching her. Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch) watches from across the hall as she suspects there to be some shenanigans that are going on. And then there is the new substitute teacher, Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake). He becomes the object of Elizabeth’s attentions when she finds out he comes from money.

The quest goes from weird to weirder when the “bad” teacher decides she needs some plastic surgery to enhance her chest. Now every penny she earns, no matter how, goes towards these special enhancements she feels are necessary to grab Scott’s attentions.

All the while the gym teacher, Russell Gettis (Jason Segel) keeps trying to get one date with Elizabeth. But despite being a decent person, he doesn’t have the money she is looking for and stands very little chance.

Will she get the guy? Will she teach the kids? Will she get rid of that nasty hangover?

Teaching is not for Elizabeth, nor for really anyone in this film, but laughs are. Ok, this film has A LOT of problems. It’s a movie about a teacher that hardly touches on the kids she teaches, or anyone teaches for that matter. It has characters that wouldn’t even be liked by their mothers. It has vulgar, insane moments that everyone looks at and says, “that would never happen.” And outside of Cameron Diaz, all the characters are underutilized, every last one of them.

But despite all of those things, I found myself laughing at some things. Sure I was alone in my laughter in the theater at times, but that never bothered me.

Why do we have to like the characters (on a personal level)…EVER? This was a movie to just snicker at and enjoy the moment. I left feeling this has got all the makings of a late night cult film and it just might blossom on DVD and with groups at a later time.

Bad Teacher is not nearly as bad as some will lead you to believe. Sure the “teacher” in this case has nothing, but the film has laughs. Bad Teacher is bad, but good while being bad.

C+

Bad Teacher

Columbia Pictures

Director: Jake Kasdan

Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake

Rating: R for sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use.

Runtime: 1 hour 32 minutes