Movie Review: Bad Teacher

Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher. Photo / Supplied

Politically incorrect and with a badass heroine and cynical tone, Bad Teacher takes its title inspiration and a lot more besides from the film Bad Santa, which starred Billy Bob Thornton.

Cameron Diaz is Elizabeth Halsey, a shallow and deceitful gold digger who spends her nights on the prowl and her days nursing a hangover and teaching, or rather supervising, her Year 7 class. With a singular ambition to bag a wealthy husband, if you're not a potential mate or someone who can help her find one then you're likely to be on the receiving end of Halsey's cruel and abrasive tongue.

It should be hilarious satire, but it's not. Diaz does the nasty stuff too well and her character's cruelty towards her co-workers and students simply makes her unlikeable. It's hard enough to root for a woman who believes fake breasts are the way to get ahead in life, but even more so when she gets them through cheating, stealing and driving good teachers mad.

That Halsey shamelessly flaunts her stunning body to get what she wants is a given, but surprisingly for Diaz it's the flirty stuff that's most forced and fake, and which takes the edge of the comedy.

Jason Segel (Russell Gettis) on the other hand gives a taste of just how funny this comedy could have been. He's the one member of staff who sees Elizabeth for who she really is and still likes her, and his laid-back and foul-mouthed gym teacher routine comes across as perfectly natural. His great comedic timing also helps.

Diaz's real life ex, Justin Timberlake, turns up, as new substitute teacher Scott Delacorte. Halsey, who can spot a trust fund beneficiary from the make of their watch, flirts up a storm in an attempt to nab wealthy Scott. Timberland's performance is amped and cheesy, and while his character's intentions are flaky, he does get a couple of the movie's best moments. As is sometimes the case, the worse a film gets, the better it gets; in this case the dry humping and cringing love songs are an improvement.

So, Bad Teacher has its moments, but not enough to make it a cult classic or laugh-out-loud funny. It could have been irreverent and a fun movie to see, but unfortunately we're left with a few memorable moments in what is a predictable story dominated by bland gags and uneven performances.

Stars: 2.5/5
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake
Director: Jake Kasdan
Running time: 93 mins
Rating: R16 (Offensive language, drug use and sexual content that may offend)
Verdict: Being a complete bitch doesn't always make you funny

- TimeOut