Bad Teacher - (June 24th, 2011): R
Distributor: Columbia Pictures (subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #2 with $31,603,106
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $31,603,106
Gross Revenue: $49,903,106
Production Budget: $19 million
Director: Jake Kasdan
From a marketing and developmental standpoint, Bad Teacher didn’t generate that much buzz beyond the stunned reaction to raunchy trailer. In fact, the biggest news story surrounding this newest comedy involved the fact that former couple Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake would be reunited and working together as potential love interests. Though there was definite lack of tact in using the failing quality of the U.S. education system to position Bad Teacher, few could deny the inherent appeal of watching a crass educator being brutally honest with her students…I myself had a few flashbacks to when I used to substitute teach. While I couldn’t wait to see Cameron Diaz demean people by saying exactly what was on her mind and engage in a sexy, slow-motion car wash, it was funnyman Jason Segel’s involvement in the project that gave me high hopes for the comedic quality of this newest entry at the theater. Forgetting the disappointment I felt at the recycled story contained within The Hangover: Part II, it still looked like Bad Teacher would be able to continue the trend of funny, edgy comedies that have had a pervasive presence during the 2011 Summer Movie Season.
In case you missed the basic premise of Bad Teacher during the prevalent and overly descriptive trailers, Cameron Diaz plays Elizabeth Halsey, a recently dumped gold-digger skating by her teaching position at an Illinois middle school by doing the bare minimum. Even though she is constantly pursued by Russell Gettis (Jason Segel), the school’s gym teacher, Elizabeth’s attention soon settles on a wealthy new substitute teacher, Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake). When it is revealed that Scott’s ex-girlfriend was well-endowed, Elizabeth decides that the best way to gain his attention is through breast-enlargement surgery, which she cannot currently afford on her salary. After her co-worker, Lynn (Phyllis Smith), lets it slip that the teacher whose class scores highest on a state-administered test will receive a bonus, Elizabeth decides to step up her efforts using methods that are both unconventional and a little brutal. Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s newfound “sincerity” quickly draws the ire of the school’s star educator, the chipper and overly enthusiastic Amy Squirrell (Lucy Punch), who also happens to be pursuing Scott. With such a shallow goal being pursued by an amoral character, who is not above putting on a movie for her class while she nurses a hangover, Bad Teacher shoots for simple entertainment and crude jokes; both are more than enough to please target audiences.
Given the unconventional and blatant premise, there is little surprise that the best element of Bad Teacher is its raunchy and confrontational humor…I’ve had some crass teachers in the past, including one who wasn’t above making his morning coffee a little “Irish,” but Elizabeth Halsey puts them all to shame. As always, Cameron Diaz is easy on the eyes, but she uses this role to readily remind audiences that she has a mature sense of humor and some considerable talent concerning comedic timing. Combining Cameron Diaz’s crude rants with Jason Segel’s own brand of self-depreciating humor makes for a perfect mix to entertain audiences, while Lucy Punch’s cheery and frustrated disposition serves to transform her into a perfect rival for the flawed protagonist. In terms of some of the minor characters within the film, Eric Stonestreet charms as Elizabeth’s offbeat roommate, while Phyllis Smith is endearing as the innocent and neurotic co-worker; as undoubted scene-stealers, it’s just a shame that the two weren’t given bigger roles. Unfortunately, plentiful laughs aside, a weak story and some reserved plot elements prevent Bad Teacher from being a truly great comedy film.
If you have seen even one trailer for Bad Teacher, then you fully aware of the plot presented…it its shallow, limited, and one-dimensional entirety. Any form of redemption or emotional depth for any of the characters is a complete pipe-dream; these are generally horrible people, so deal with it. Granted, I wasn’t expecting anything award-winning or ground-breaking, but it still felt like if the filmmakers had just tweaked the story a little bit and got a little bit more creative with the characters, then this comedy could have been far more memorable. As far as the cast goes, though a majority of the contributing players more than lived up to expectations, Justin Timberlake clearly fell short. After his distinct performance in The Social Network, I was eager to see what the former N’SYNCer could do in the comedy realm beyond his Saturday Night Live appearances, but by and large, he often came off as more creepy and annoying than actually funny. Still, putting these missed opportunities aside, Bad Teacher remains an entertaining entry in the raunchy comedy genre.
As far as opening weekends for R-rated comedies go, the fact that Bad Teacher opened up with over $30 million while going against Disney-Pixar’s newest entry, Cars 2, is insanely impressive. Not only did this effort defy studio expectations, but it was also more than enough to cover the film’s modest production budget. Analysts also noted that a majority of the opening weekend audience was female, but I bet that once word of mouth spreads about Cameron Diaz’s car wash scene, male attendance in the theater will increase considerably, especially since the film remains the only new comedy offering over the 4th of July holiday weekend. As long as you are not looking for anything overtly profound, Bad Teacher has more than enough laughs to keep you entertained, so it is well worth seeing in theaters.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
