Bad Teacher

Jake Kasdan's Bad Teacher is an amusing movie that constantly seems on the verge of a home run, but it never quite pushes itself hard enough to get there. I'm recommending it with reservations. Yes, I laughed, but I still had this nagging thought in the back of my mind that I should have been laughing even more. Was it studio pressure? Was the movie hastily edited down? (The film's brief running time of just under 90 minutes seems to point to this.) Whatever the case, this could have been a great comedy, but will have to settle for being passable, with a couple of big laughs scattered throughout.

Cameron Diaz (giving one of her better performances since 2005's In Her Shoes) stars as Elizabeth Halsey, a woman who has halfheartedly taught a seventh grade English course for the past year, and now is looking forward to leaving it all behind and becoming a trophy wife to her wealthy fiance, as the film opens. When her fiance unexpectedly breaks off the engagement and kicks her out of his home, she's forced to move into a small apartment with a guy who is so dim, we are surprised he even knows how to dress himself properly in the morning. Elizabeth is now faced with another year of teaching, though why the school would hire her back (or even hire her in the first place) is a mystery the screenplay doesn't bother to answer. Elizabeth shows up to class most days hung over from the night before, so she's constantly dragging out the TV, and popping in a movie about school for her class to watch instead, like Stand and Deliver, Lean on Me, or Dangerous Minds. Once again, no one on the staff seems to notice this, except for Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch), the most popular and driven teacher in the school, which automatically makes her Elizabeth's rival.

A new member to the faculty staff attracts Elizabeth's attention, the handsome young Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake), who is not only a teacher, but also the heir to a great fortune. Now that Elizabeth has a new wealthy target in her sights, she has to go about reeling him in, which in her mind means getting a breast implant job. With her current funds to pay for the operation coming up short, Elizabeth decides to participate in school charity functions for the first time in her life (which she naturally embezzles most of the profits made), and starts taking her class seriously for the first time when she finds out that the class that scores the highest on a state quiz gets a cash reward. Diaz is in fine form here as a comical bad girl who is selfish, more than a little stupid, greedy, and doesn't go through a single change during the course of the film. Timberlake is also funny as a meek nerd teacher with some rather strange sexual habits. (It's a pity the movie doesn't give him that much of a send off near the end.) Also deserving of note are Jason Segel as a gym teacher who keeps on hitting on Elizabeth, and Phyllis Smith as the closest thing Elizabeth has to a friend at the school.

Bad Teacher works for the most part because of its cast. They're obviously giving it their all, but you sometimes feel that the screenplay by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (Year One) isn't keeping up. There are moments of inspired laughs, but there are just as many moments where I found myself either smiling politely, or thinking what was up on the screen should be funnier than it's coming across. This is a movie that should be sharp and edgy, and while it as its moments, it all too often feels sanded over and smooth. I'm still recommending the movie, however, because what does work works very well. There's an offbeat sense to the characters that I liked, such as the school's principal who has an unhealthy obsession with dolphins. Plus, it's kind of nice to see a comedy that features a truly contemptible lead character who doesn't learn any life lessons by the end. She's gotten through life so far by being the way she is, and if the way this film ends is any indication, she sees no reason to change.

A lot of this success goes to Diaz, who brings a certain giddiness to her character's nastiness. She's an actress who I can either admire greatly, or find her superficial and cloying, depending on the role she's playing. Here, she finds the perfect tone. She's manipulative, and has the right "why should I care" attitude for the character. The entire ensemble (which also includes comics like Thomas Lennon and Molly Shannon) seem to be having a lot of fun here. Most of all, the movie is crude, while at the same time managing to not be entirely hung up on it. It's not an endurance test movie, rather it's a movie about some very cruel and often funny people. If they were smart too, this would be an even better movie, but I'll settle for funny.

Look, I know this is not a great movie, or probably even a good one. But, I laughed, the cast works hard, and I had fun while I was watching it. I wish I could have liked it even more, but Bad Teacher at least carries on the tradition this summer set by Bridesmaids that yes, women are capable of being just as down and dirty as the guys when it comes to comedy. About time, I say. Now the studios just have to trust them to truly go all the way. Then we'll have a movie to remember.

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