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Though she’s actually played a number of dramatic roles (roles that have even earned her a few Golden Globe nominations), Cameron Diaz is best known for playing the irreverently funny hottie. Her performances can be pretty hit-or-miss—ranging from lovably goofy to nails-on-a-chalkboard—but, generally speaking, she’s just really good at being bad. And her latest bad girl role is her best in years.
In Jake Kasdan’s Bad Teacher, Diaz stars as Elizabeth Halsey, a middle school teacher who’s set on marrying rich, so she’ll never have to teach again. But when her fiancé throws her out, she ends up back in the classroom for another year.
Convinced that she needs a boob job to help her snag the sugar daddy of her dreams, the hard-partying teacher shows her students movie after movie while attempting to come up with money-making ideas. At the same time, she starts putting the moves on rich (but totally wishy-washy) substitute teacher Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake). But her overeager coworker, Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch), is determined to do everything in her power to get in her way.
Elizabeth Halsey is an absolutely terrible character. She’s a horrible role model who couldn’t care less about her students or their education. She sneaks shots during class, she smokes pot in the parking lot, and she goes out of her way to avoid taking responsibility for anything. And it’s the role that Diaz was born to play. No matter how reprehensible her character may be, Diaz still manages to make her a strangely likable lead. You’ll actually enjoy watching her lie, steal, and manipulate her way into getting what she wants. And when her rivalry with do-gooder Ms. Squirrel escalates into all-out war, you’ll root for Elizabeth to come out victorious.
But Diaz isn’t the only bright spot in the cast. In fact, each and every cast member brings something important (and absolutely hilarious) to the film—from Lucy Punch’s passionate perkiness to Jason Segel’s sparkling sarcasm as cynical gym teacher Russell. And although Timberlake isn’t at his best as the spineless sub, it’s only because he wasn’t given much to work with. It’s pretty tough to turn in a remarkable performance when you’re playing an intentionally bland character—yet Timberlake still manages to bring a few moments of hilarity (especially when he gets to show off his character’s singing and dancing abilities).
Despite the stellar comedic cast, though, Diaz still steals the show with brilliant bad-girl comedy that rivals Billy Bob Thornton’s performance in Bad Santa—making Bad Teacher a crude, irreverent, and sinfully funny summer comedy.
Blu-ray Review:
Want more of Bad Teacher’s crude, irreverent comedy? The Unrated Edition Blu-ray release includes two versions of the film: the theatrical version and an unrated version (with five minutes of additional unrated material).
Of course, you’ll find even more of the film’s irreverent humor when you check out the disc’s extras. The special features menu is loaded with ‘em: a gag reel, six deleted scenes (the best of the bunch: Timberlake as Tom Sawyer), and some outtakes (a strange collection of clips, which fall somewhere between deleted scenes and gag reel footage). For more on your favorite characters, you can flip through the JAMS Yearbook: Hidden Moments, an interactive feature that mixes some memorable moments from the film with some brief behind-the-scenes antics. Or, for more of Timberlake and Segel, you can go Way Behind the Scenes with Justin and Jason, an amusingly awkward conversation between the two actors, which builds in its awkwardness until both finally break out in giggles.
The disc also includes a few making-of features—like Raising More than Funds, which discusses Diaz’s carwash scene, and Swimming with the Dolphins, which focuses on John Michael Higgins and his role as the dolphin-loving principal. There’s also a kooky short feature with writer Lee Eisenberg, who also plays a blacksmith—and the cast discusses the attributes of a good educator in Good Teacher.
All of the features have the same goofy, irreverent tone as the film—so they’re all worth a look. Feel free to pick and choose, depending on your own interests.
