Bad Teacher

There was a certain magnetism for me toward this movie because, well, I am a middle school teacher, so some of the humor was magnified a bit and seeing kids being yelled and cussed at is kind of a secret fantasy of mine at times.

There was one great thing about the film, and one terrible thing. Which do you want to hear first? I'll give you a little summary before jumping to that. Cameron Diaz is a despicable gold digger who thinks she's about to hit the jackpot, and thus, enter a life of early retirement. The problem is, she's a bit transparent in her ambitions. She returns to her job as a middle school English teacher and decides to save up to buy herself a new pair of boobs (which might have been a good choice for Diaz about 15 years ago). Anyhow, she vies for the attention of the wealthy substitute teacher, while completely dissing every co-worker around her, and building a rivalry with the teacher across the hall. The film comes to a climax around the dreaded state standards test, and as usual, the group of teachers are made out to be incompetent, desperate, and completely unprofessional. OK, maybe that last bit was a bit too close to home, but teachers get a bad rap, even in film.

The movie plays out simplistically and predictably, and Diaz does a decent job in the role. Justin Timberlake is simply a terrible actor, no excuses to be had. He may have some good skits on SNL, but make no mistake, he is no feature film actor. There has to be a reason that Friends with Benefits has been shelved for so long, and I have a feeling its name isn't Mila Kunis. Had he been replaced with someone a bit more thespian, maybe, oh, just about any B-list actor in his late 20's or early 30's, it would have had a major impact on the film. My suggestions would have been Chris Evans, Seth Myers, or BJ Novak. Or maybe the lesser known Matt Lauria. Someone who could pull off the role better than Timberlake, who for some reason, I just can't take seriously, even in a comedic role. A great risk would have been Andy Sandberg, who hasn't done much in film despite his incredible potential.

The great thing about the film was Jason Segel. He owns as the gym teacher who is actually kind of cool, who is trying to get together with Diaz. He is given the best lines, and ends up impressing Diaz with his personality instead of his money.

The terrible thing about the film is one of my all-time pet peeves in cinema. With the exception of one or two scenes, all of the best lines and scenes are in the previews. If you watch a few of them, including the red-band trailer, you've seen the entire film and don't need to waste the $9. Boo.

Jake Kasdan directs his first movie in four years, since Walk Hard, which was disappointing. He's got the lineage, and writing skills, and this was a noble effort for a summer comedy. To be honest though, I was really looking forward to it, as there is a natural connection to Bad Santa, which is one of the most underrated holiday films of all time. Overall, it underwhelmed me, and I'm a sucker for middle school films. 6/10.