Dir: Jake Kasdan, USA, 2011, 92 mins
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Lucy Punch, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel
Review by Maria Sell
Fans of Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake might be pleased to see the pair being reunited, at least on screen. Here they star opposite each other as middle school educators in the dark comedy Bad Teacher.
Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) does everything a teacher shouldn’t: she is foulmouthed, drinks and takes drugs, both during and after school hours. On top of that she couldn’t care less about her job and can’t wait to wave the school life good-bye to get married to her wealthy fiancé. However, when he calls off the wedding, she is forced to walk her expensive Louboutins back into her old job. Luckily the arrival of rich, handsome substitute teacher Scott Delacorte (Timberlake), promises a way out of her much hated existence. But she has to compete for his attention with her charming, goody-two-shoes colleague Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch), while at the same time repelling the advances of the school’s average Joe gym teacher, Russell Gattis (Jason Segel).
In Elizabeth’s quest to win Scott’s heart and secure her financial future to escape her dead-end job, her devious schemes culminate in a laborious plan to cheat at a national test and to break up Amy and Scott. This is more reminiscent of school rivalry and bitchiness than the behaviour one would expect from role models such as teachers. In fact, it’s amusing to recognise the relationship between the teachers as a mirror image of the pupils’: the pretty but unambitious one (Elizabeth), versus the star student (Amy) and the so called-loser (Russell), who will never be part of the popular cliques.
While the plot is rather predictable, Diaz is certainly convincing as the uncouth yet sexy teacher. The charity car wash scene springs to mind, which will ensure that the film will speak to a male teenage audience. Yet, it is the supporting cast that stands out most. Punch is the strongest character and utterly believable as the overachieving teacher, who is pleasant to everyone on the surface but certainly knows how to throw a punch or two. In addition Segel shows much promise, bringing a certain smoothness and ease to the humour in his scenes. But unfortunately, he is not rewarded with enough screen time to prove his full potential.
Timberlake’s performance, on the other hand, is rather wooden and disappointing. This is definitely not helped by a lack of on-screen chemistry between him and Diaz, which seems odd considering their off-screen history. Perhaps the rule of not working with children or animals in Hollywood should also extend to former flames?
Bad Teacher may not be a calling card for the teaching profession, but it does make for an entertaining watch. Diaz once again proves she can handle herself in the comedy genre, but the real treat comes in the form of the supporting cast, especially Lucy Punch. Her performance deserves an A+.
love to know what you think of some of my work and music videos 
