Bad Teacher Movie Review: A Study in Heightened Personality-Types
by Alyssa Caverley at . CommentsTake a lesson on how not to act in Bad Teacher, featuring Cameron Diaz as a very shallow and manipulative woman who in no way wants to be teaching "snot-nosed kids".
Elizabeth Halsey is as shallow as they come, and - as the title suggests - she proves to be pretty bad too. She is self-centered, immoral, shallow, and just plain mean. She is forced to continue her job as a teacher (because they are so easy to come by - does she have the education?) after her fiance kicks her out for being a blatant gold digger.
She soon finds herself back at school, teaching the seventh grade class she despises - well, that is, if you call putting in a DVD everyday and drinking behind the desk, teaching. But to her delight, she quickly meets substitute teacher Mr. Delacourt (Justin Timberlake), the rich heir of a watch-making empire.
She decides that in order to get into his good graces, she'll need to get breast implants. The surgery becomes her sole mission in life.
The film takes a bunch of different personalities and heightens them to their absolute peak. The characters are so extreme, you don't find yourself relating to, or even really liking, any of them.
Diaz plays a character you will just want to shake your head at for being so completely out-of-touch, Timberlake plays a charming, but extremely naive substitute teacher who seems to have the life-experience of a 10 year old, and Jason Segel plays the gym teacher in his usual lovable-romantic "good guy" way.
Elizabeth's teacher-enemy Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch), the complete opposite of Elizabeth's laid back style, is again a prototype of an a do-gooding ridiculously happy teacher. It's funny to see her lash out, while at the same time trying to keep her "teacher-face" in check, but it's all a bit too over the top.
The movie is lighhearted and fun, but there isn't an ounce in it that can be taken seriously, almost to the point where you just want to role your eyes at the absurdity of it all.
If you're looking for a fun film that doesn't require much thought or energy, Bad Teacher is a great choice -- you will be entertained by Diaz and her insufferable crazy antics.