Bad Teacher

There is a certain energy in that movie. Especially at the beginning when Cameron Diaz seems invincible she has the time of her life (almost literally). There is a great sequence where she kinda falls down though which sets of the rest of the movie. Unfortunately even though it does make sense for her character, it does loose quite a bit of its pace from that point on.

Justin Timberlake is good in playing kind of against character and does not care about what people may think. Jason Segel is almost underused in this one and even Cameron Diaz did not really have that many great moments overall. And for a movie that tries to stay raunchy, it does even fail at combining that with the funny elements. While deliciously evil at times (and good), it also misses the point half of the time. Not really bad, but not that good either (I only watched the cinema release and not the extended cut)

Just watched it. It's just a timepass movie, watch if you have enough time. We are at a lockdown here, so yeah completely free. It has many funny moments, and a story as well. I went in not expecting one. Turned out to be quite decent. The movie picks up brilliantly and the cast have done great job. The two top teachers are remarkable. Students could have been better had they learn from a great classic movie Kindergarten Cop! Average! Go for it if you have time!

Bad Teacher is funny in ways it shouldn't be. Cameron Diaz owns the role of Elizabeth as the foul-mouthed, pot smoking, trashy blonde teacher with a twisted outlook on life. Obscenities and bizarre sexual innuendo roll off her tongue perfectly. Justin Timberlake is hilarious and awkward as Scott. His character is complex and....well he's just awkward....there's no other way to describe it. Lucy Punch is the perfect counterpart to both Diaz and Timberlake's characters as Amy Squirrel. Her over-the-top performance is one you will remember. Jason Segel steals every scene he's in as Russell the equally foul mouthed and dirty gym teacher. Phyllis Smith is an adorable and strange addition to the movie as the confused Lynn Davis, bringing her own brand of corkiness to the plot. All in all, the casting of Bad Teacher is flawless and is really where the movie shines. The punchlines are delivered with punch and the characters are decently developed and complex in their own ways.

There are some setbacks to Bad Teacher which stop it from being a great comedy. The plot devices used to move the story along are unconvincing and overplayed. Character transformations are equally unconvincing, uninspired, and rushed. Some scenes feel forced for the sake of cheap laughs or shock value. None of it though is shocking enough for this to be an effective method of comedy. Sometimes the characters feel a bit too weird even for the universe of strange the movie sets early on. Jason Segel's Russell is the most interesting character in the movie and yet for some reason is greatly underused. He pops up in pointless scenes simply to interject a laugh and then disappears for long stretches of time.

Bad Teacher is a funny movie. The critics have not been so generous with their reviews, but who listens to them anymore anyways? If you are into dark comedies or a raunchy brand of humor, you will find yourself laughing with this one. While the plot devices are forced and some of the humor could have been better with a more subtle approach, overall this is a decent flick to chill out on the couch and laugh with. 7/10

If I could have given zero stars I would have. This movie is absolutely not worth watching. The only remotely good thing is Jason Segel but his role was so marginal, he couldn't help anything.

The story is completely predictable with no lessons to be learned from it. There is no witty dialogue and not a single scene which would make you laugh like you should when watching a comedy. Timberlake's role is supposed to be dorky or something but if you've seen him on SNL, this one does not live up to your expectations. The dry hump scene is not even embarrassing funny but utterly lame.

The only twist in the story is so expected and poorly executed, it's just another super lame scene.

If seeing Cameron Diaz washing cars in Daisy Dukes for about five minutes is your thing watch it. Otherwise, stay away from it. This movie seriously sucked.

You'd think this sort of humour would be right up my street, and you'd be absolutely correct. The sneering at the well-intentioned, the relentless mocking of the disadvantaged, and the courage to show us sometimes nice guys (or gals) DO finish last is like ambrosia to my ears.

However, I can't help but compare and contrast to a similar film by the name of Bad Santa, and not just because of the name. Both movies have alcoholic, drug-addled losers in the main role who are only in their current job for personal satisfaction. They steal, cheat and manipulate every good soul around them to achieve their goal, before finding some sort of minor personal redemption by the end.

But unlike the Xmas film, Bad Teacher operates to so many extremes of what it mocks it all becomes a wee bit improbable. No-one for instance, could be as sickly-sweet as Lucy Punch's character in real life... you can tell this is a comic creation all the way, and she plays it too broadly. Same with Justin Timberlake.... they make him so obnoxiously nice in his part, he is never that funny, just plain irritating. And he ditches that persona entirely for a startlingly bad dry-humping scene late on, the less said about the better.

Thank Heaven for Cameron Diaz though... She might be damaging children's delicate mental health with her corruptible influence, but at least she's a fleshed out person. All the humorous moments flow through her and her utter disdain for the goody two shoes surrounding her. A school like this, with it's right-on attitude and it's stultifying political correctness would probably be more of a nightmare to attend than a little place I know called Potterspury Lodge.

It's just a shame then, that unlike the slightly superior Bad Santa, sometimes it just gets so OTT that it crosses the line between satire and silliness. It's still generally a chucklesome affair, but I just feel like it could have been better. Ah, well... 6/10