Bad teacher

Bad teacher

“Bad Teacher” suffers from the association of “Bad Santa.” Its bad person is neither bad enough nor likable enough. Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) does more or less what you expect, but what’s surprising is she’s so horrible and unpleasant. Billy Bob Thornton, as the Bad Santa, was more outrageously offensive yet more redeemed by his desperation. He was bad for urgent reasons; Elizabeth appears to be just a greedy lifestyle choice.

Miss Halsey opens the film engaged to a rich guy who she lives off but doesn’t love. He breaks up with her and she has to go back to teaching a profession in which she had no skill or interest. She passes the time letting students watch DVDs while she naps at her desk, drinks beer and gets high. This creates astonishment and indignation in Lucy Punch’s charmingly named Amy Squirrel, whose classroom is directly across the hall.

New teacher Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake), amiable but juiceless; veteran teacher Ms Pavicic (Jillian Armenante), sweet dumpling; hunky gym teacher Russell Gettis (Jason Segel); dolphin-obsessed Principal Wally Snur (John Michael Higgins).

Among these characters, Lucy Punch’s rival is most colorful because she is most driven and obsessed. The rest are oddly insubstantial they materialize in a scene, perform some necessary function and vaporize. There’s no urgency that was the one quality “Bad Santa” dripped with.

None of them are students, which seems odd. Yes there’s a kid who writes bad poetry and crushes on the class sexpot, but his desperation seems well within comic bounds. There are no vindictive students or aggressive behavior manifested by any little “Omens” in training around here.

The casting of kids seems lacking imagination but then what do you give them to do? Cameron Diaz has absolutely demonstrated that she can be funny at times like these: But here her Elizabeth is a mean antagonistic money grubber on autopilot Where did this girl come from? Why did she get into teaching in the first place? Hasn’t even an ounce of heart? We sometimes feel sorry for the poor SOB in “Bad Santa,” but all we can summon for this lead character in “Bad Teacher” is distaste.

Other problems: There exists no chemistry between Diaz and Timberlake whatsoever or even much mutual awareness between them either I’m guessing you know those annual Bad Sex Awards for worst sex scene ever filmed? Their dry humping move deserves an award for decade long periods involved The pathetic nature of their lovemaking scene ended with a wet spot shot on Timberlake’s blue jeans made preview audiences recoil.

Whole plot chunks seem missing Were drug charges ever filed against Miss Squirrel after an attempted frame by Miss Halsey? And how oh how can we possibly understand development between Elizabeth Russell gym teacher Jason Segal feels like they called Diaz Segal JD Dillion days shooting preposterous happy ending Jolly music keeps elbowing its way onto soundtrack unconvincingly cuing us we’ve seen good comedy.

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