With her supermodel looks, Cameron Diaz often gets overlooked for her acting versatility. While "Bad Teacher" will be ignored on Oscar night, she once again exceeds expectations with her all-in comic portrayal of a trashy, selfish, scheming junior high school teacher.
Hard-partying Elizabeth Halsey would rather be anywhere but working at John Adams Middle School, and she doesn't hide it. She avoids her fellow teachers and has even less time for her students. She just wants to find her wealthy future ex-husband and retire young.
She quits her job when she lines up a sucker, but he wises up just in time, forcing her to return reluctantly for a second year of teaching. Hung over in the morning, she enters her classroom late and immediately turns the lights down. Her lesson plans consist mostly of playing movies for her students. In a nice touch, she shows them good-teacher movies "Stand By Me," "Lean on Me" and "Dangerous Minds."
For contrast, director Jake Kasdan ("Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story") goes the easy route by making the rest of the school staff as sweet as pie. In over his head is the fair-minded principal (John Michael Higgins), who can't quite figure out how to bring Halsey into line. As the teacher across the hall from Halsey, Lucy Punch finds her unsolicited suggestions firmly rebuffed. Phyllis Smith (TV's "The Office") proves easily swayed. And Jason Segel (TV's "How I Met Your Mother") adds a much-needed regular-guy perspective as a gym teacher who keeps getting rejected by Halsey because he's, well, a gym teacher.
Crude and rude Halsey does develop some ambitions, as shallow as they are. Her problems will be solved, she thinks, if she can just save up $10,000 for breast implants. But how? A rich new substitute teacher (Justin Timberlake) could become her sugar daddy. Or she could win a $5,700 teaching bonus, but that means stealing state test answers so her class can post the school's top score.
It's a little silly and a lot raunchy, and the ending defies credulity, but it's a winning combination for audiences. The 2011 film cost $20 million and made $201 million at box offices worldwide. Thomas Lennon and Shaker Heights native Molly Shannon have supporting roles. The film is available in the 92-minute, R-rated theatrical version and an unrated, extra-raunchy, 97-minute version. DVD and Blu-ray extras: deleted scenes, outtakes and two featurettes. The Blu-ray version adds an interactive yearbook and three more featurettes. From Sony. Released Oct. 18.