Rating: * * ½
Think it would be awkward to publicly break up with your boyfriend and then star in a film opposite him in which you are desperately trying to get him in the sack? OK, how about if you throw in some intense dry humping and the line ‘I want to sit on his face’…
That’s certainly something viewers can look forward to when strapping in for the ninety – four minute joy ride that is Bad Teacher. Unfortunately, there is not much else.
Proving that she’s ‘still got it’, Cameron Diaz stars as the ‘smoking hot’, morally challenged and foul-mouthed protagonist who manages to achieve the delicate balance of acting as an amalgamation of Dewey Finn and Miss Trunchbull, whilst wearing a see-through blouse and stiletto heels.
After being dumped by her rich husband, Elizabeth Halsey makes it her ultimate goal to find herself a rich man to support her flamboyant lifestyle. In order to do so, she decides to have a breast augmentation operation and will do absolutely anything to drum up the cash to pay for her new assets. In between smoking pot and drinking herself silly while throwing herself at the nearest investment banker with a platinum account, Miss Halsey spends her days avoiding teaching her students by playing them a movie for the entire duration of the class while she, herself, passes out on the desk.
Diaz does plays the role candidly and certainly does a good job of being far more risqué than we have seen her before – pushing the boundaries of the film’s certificate 15 status by the use of the C word – however the character is relatively implausible, to have someone that rude and that apathetic towards the world who then turns around and becomes a fairly decent human being, no longer looking for a rich man to dote on her, but happy with the dumpy sarcastic gym teacher who makes her laugh. This metamorphosis was a little trite when teamed with the overtly stereotypical car wash scene, which sees Miss Diaz don a pair of denim shorts and cropped plaid shirt that only Daisy Duke could rival, while pouring soapy water all over herself and the car. Indeed one half expected her to buff the windshield with her breasts to give it that waxy finish.
However, as a whole the film delivered some funny lines and strong performances from it’s supporting cast. Jason Segal played an endearing funny man (shock horror) somewhat authentically and Lucy Punch held her own as eccentric and entirely OTT rival teacher, ‘Amy Squirrel’ with passive aggressive precision. However, the star turn has to be the understated, tongue in cheek and alarmingly self-aware performance by Justin Timberlake as the highly sensitive and wealthy substitute teacher that Elizabeth and Amy are fighting over. His cringe-worthy portrayal of mawkish and ingenuous ‘Scott Delacorte’ provided the lion’s share of the laughs.
So it seems the problem lies not with the acting, or even with the script but possibly in the entire lack of a congruent plotline. Unfortunately, kooky characters, awkward situations and mildly entertaining dialogue does not a storyline make.
In terms of Bonus Features, the DVD extras in the ‘School’s Out Edition’ include the standard deleted scenes and outtakes along with a closer look at the genius behind Cameron’s hotpants and some ’naughtier’ sequences. The ‘Behind the scenes with Jason and Justin’, featuring a bit of ad lib improv is worth a watch.
If you are looking for a film that doesn’t require attention or strenuous brain activity (or any at all for that matter!) but is a bit of cheap fun for a few hours then Bad Teacher is a safe bet.
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