I’m not going to spend much time on Jake Kasdan’s comedy Bad Teacher, starring Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake, because it’s not really worth it; but what I can tell you is that for a movie of this idiotic nature, I did let out a few good belly laughs: I have seen worse.
Cameron Diaz plays guess what? That’s right: A bad teacher on a determined mission in life to get breast enlargement so that she can snag a rich guy to support her. She teaches her class by showing movies while wearing tight skirts, high heels, and sporting major league hangovers. After her wealthy boyfriend blows her off, she decides breast enlargement is going be the path to economic recovery; but when the doctor informs her that the uplift is going to cost $10,000 she is faced with a bra-fitting conundrum.
Enter Justin Timberlake, whose role as the new dope on the block is convincingly funny. Timberlake is not only a new addition to the teaching staff, but also the heir apparent to a wealthy watch-making family’s assets. The Diaz character tries to seduce the newly appointed idiot (and I must admit the interplay between the two is funny at times); but he is smitten by another: a squirrely social studies teacher played by Lucy Punch. The Punch character is actually the funniest part of the movie as a manic-depressive educator who is competing for Timberlake’s affection. Actor Jason Segal also gets honorable mention as a smart-alecky gym teacher who is attracted to Diaz’s short skirts.
There you have it in a Christmas stocking. If you liked The Bad Santa, you will love this: Tons of sexual innuendo; heavy drinking and drug use; filthy language accompanied by a few laughs. (R-rated and definitely not for children.)
My rating: 2 out 5 breast enlargements.