Bad Teacher (Sony Pictures)
Not Bad Enough
Cameron Diaz swears like a sailor and drops sexual innuendoes by the dozens but all of this cant make Bad Teacher bad enough to be entertaining. She is limited by a somewhat tired plot and two weak performances from Jason Segel and Justin Timberlake. Only Lucy Punch gives the film some punch as a competitive teacher at Diaz school.
Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) is a teacher biding her time while waiting for her marriage to a rich guy. When he dumps her she is back at the school again, more unenthused than ever. Things perk up when she meets new substitute teacher Scott Delacourte (Timberlake). He is from a supposedly wealthy family so she sets her sights on him. So does the teacher across the hall, Amy Squirrel (Punch).
Liz also decides she needs breast enhancement and that costs ten thousand dollars. She is desperate for the money and when she learns there is a cash award to the teacher whose students score best on a national test she devises a way to rig the scores. But even with this kind of manipulation Liz does not come across as a bad enough teacher to make the movie fun.
Diaz has some comic skills but they are not used to their fullest here. She has her moments but they are few and far between. Her scenes with Timberlake do not work and Segel is just bland in his puppy dog role of a PE teacher who has a crush on her. It is only with Punch that Diaz has a good foil to play off of and score some laughs.
The film is rated R for profanity, nudity and sexual innuendoes.
Phyllis Smith is amusing as Lynn, another teacher at the school, while John Michael Higgins livens a few scenes up as the principal of the school. Neither one of them has a big enough part to make any impact on the overall enjoyment of the film.
It will take a true die hard Diaz fan to really enjoy this movie. Even they might have to admit Diaz does not look her best in this movie and her comedic skills are not as sharp as when she appeared in Theres Something About Mary or even My Best Friends Wedding.
Bridesmaids knew how to use raunch to its advantage, Bad Teacher does not. Maybe they should have cast Kristin Wiig in the title role and watched her work her magic.
I scored Bad Teacher a not bad enough 5 out of 10.
