Bad Teacher (2011): It is bad but fails to be good in that.

Bad Teacher is a Bad movie about a teacher who is Bad...... that is it. That's the whole plot and review.

Well yes that is pretty much what I felt, after I finished watching the movie and sitting down to write the review. That was the only line that flowed best on the page. But well allow me to dwell further.

Elizabeth Halsey, played by Cameron Diaz, is a Chicago middle school teacher at the John Adams Middle School who curses at her students, consumes lots of alcohol, smokes marijuana, and only shows movies while she sleeps through class.

When the movie starts she is shown quitting her teaching job so as to get married to a wealthy fool and enjoy a carefree life of luxury. But when in a movie, have you ever seen any ‘happily ever after' in the beginning. The wedding fails to materialize and Elizabeth is back at her old teaching job and teaching methods.

At the school Diaz meets Scott Delacorte, played by Justin Timberlake, a new substitute teacher who is also an heir to a multi-dollar watch empire. In him, she sees her old dreams of marrying rich and luxurious life begin to rekindle. But this time she is not alone. Competing with her at the school, in teaching and in love, is another teacher Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch), who is as irritating for the staff as for the students.

What follows is an ugly battle of competition between the two teachers to gain the attention of the rich heir, who believes in simulated sex with clothes on as a way to search ones true mate.

The ugliness is further fueled by the rich prince charming's fantasy for big boobs, or so Elizabeth seems to believe is the only reason he overlooks her and chooses Ms. Squirrel. And so begins her journey to get money for breast implants and series of raunchy jokes and gags.

This is a movie about good v/s evil, but surprisingly I didn't find myself picking any side. For if evil is represented by Diaz and her drugging and movie screening ways of teaching; the good side is equally appalling by screechy, irritating Squirrel; whimpering Timberlake; and a lovesick underdog like the Basketball Coach, Russell Gettis (Jason Segel), who makes every possible attempt to make his feelings loud and clear for Elizabeth all to get his advances rejected.

I think it was the supporting cast that did the only good job in the film, while rest were just put to the place where they fitted the best. Diaz is used to act sexy and put an edge in all the raunchy jokes. Timberlake is used as a man piece for girls, but he is totally damp and a waste for any screen time whatsoever given to him in the film. Jason Segel’s act, as the underdog puppy eyed loser basketball coach, I would say is good casting as that clearly goes with his characters from his earlier films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
And Ms irritating Squirrel is well cast as she irritates the crap out of u with her excessive goody good two shoes act and irritating dialogue delivery.

I think the only place in the plot or script where the film works a bit for me was the place when Diaz is fighting tooth n nail to get the money for her boob job. And esp. the part where she cons the state examiner to get the test papers from him, and how she claws her way out of d whole allegation later. I really enjoyed that part, as that was the only part that kept me engaged in watching the film.

This film is the classic case of good, bad and ugly. Nothing is good, every one is equally bad, and Timberlake acts ugly.

Other than that the film is pretty predictable as you always know that in the end anti- heroine will turn into a heroine. You know she will revise her old ways and the underdog love stuck puppy would win her with his goodness.

Out of 5 I would rate the movie as 1n1/2. All the marks, just for all d raunchy jokes and the only part of the plot that managed to make me laugh. What I expected was a shocking movie; I got that but not totally in a positive sense. I thought the film did have a promising concept and I did enjoy the brazen performance by Cameron Diaz, as she did manage to keep me engaged in the scenes where action was lacking. But still the overall after taste of the movie was as if it lacked not something but almost everything that I expected.

In the recent Teen Choice Movie Awards the movie did won quite a few accolades for itself, such as Choice Movie- Comedy, Choice Movie Actor- Comedy for Timberlake and Choice Movie Actress- Comedy for Diaz. I just agree with the last category for winning, but then ‘to each his own’. Nonetheless I would say my usual line that ‘do watch it once’ because no matter how good or bad a film is every audience member should make their own opinions.

Bad Teacher (2011)

Director: Jake Kasden

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segal, Lucy Punch

Producer: Jimmy Miller, David Householter

Writer: Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky

Cinematographer: Alar Kivilo

Editor: Tara Timpone

Running Time: 92 minutes

Favorite Scene: the car wash scene, and the whole episode where she seduces the state examiner and gets the tests and the whole cover up.....