Review of Bad Teacher (2011) by Cinesnatch — 08 Jul 2011

Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) is the World's Worst Teacher. Her goal in life is to mooch off a rich husband and her latest target is new guy Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake), a vanilla nerdy virgin who has a fondness for huge breasts. Diaz, down-on-her-luck, living with a roommate, makes it her life's mission to turn her A-cups in double-D's and will find the money at all costs. It's a silly premise, which the filmmakers make no bones about; they're only interest is mining the situation to the audience's delight.

Elizabeth is textbook manipulative, and the script is balanced enough to enjoy her dishonesty every step of the way. She's a horrible teacher and person, but the few slaps on the wrist she gets for her behavior are more than enough. And when she's not getting a free pass, her character is tempered with just the right amount of ridicule. My memory may be fuzzy, but in Mary (as unsatisfying to me as Teacher was a pleasure), a type of comedy not dissimilar to her latest, I recall Diaz playing a more reactive role. It was essentially the boys Ben Stiller and Matt Dillon who drove the plot; she was more along for the ride with special gel in her hair to keep the wind from ruining it. Here, she's in the driver's seat. She is comfortable at the wheel and has her foot all the way down on the gas. In her element, she has never been better. She was born to the play this role. The trailer for Teacher set the curve for success high. And like the subsequent previews, the final result lives up to the promise. It's un-PC in all the right ways and doesn't pander to the audience. It has been a while since there has been a Hollywood comedy that has absolute respect for its audience and aware of exactly what it's doing. There aren't any shocking moments it builds to, there's just a heavy dose of acerbic wit consistent throughout the script cowritten by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (producer/writers for the American version of The Office). There's no fat to be seen, as the venture is premium grade-A steak. Yet, it also has some of the shrewdest editing in a comedy I have seen in a long while. After the ironically homely credits, the story bursts out of the gate and remains full force until the end, and director Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) keeps things clipping along completely conscious of its absurdity. It has too many jokes to tell; there is no time to dilly-dally. There are a few brief random moments that even work despite themselves. The supporting cast is stellar; they all stand and deliver. Timberlake is fine as the dippy liberal who isn't as progressive as he thinks he is. But the standouts are TV actors from such sitcoms as The Class, How I Met Your Mother and The Office. Lucy Punch's comic chops first came to my attention in Annette Being's period Being Julia. She joined The Class shortly thereafter, but since its premature cancellation, she hasn't had much to chew on other than taking over a role for Nicole Kidman and standing out in the subpar You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Here, as over-achieving Amy Squirrel, she plays the foil to Diaz, just as Diaz did to Julia Roberts in Wedding. Besides batting all of her lines out of the park, she improvisationally employs weird facial gestures, conducts a simple, yet stealthy monologue about math with an accent and squeezes into a men's urinal while discussing matters of import. Jason Siegel is downright adorable and makes a great partner for Diaz. Not really a spoiler, they're obviously going to end up together from the get-go and their banter doesn't make it hard to accept. However, the crown for best supporting player has to go to Phyllis Smith as Lynn, Diaz' sidekick. I don't watch The Office and I haven't seen her anywhere else to my knowledge, but it appears she doesn't have the ability to not be funny, whether it's with a look or her uniquely meek voice. The woman is a comic secret weapon and her chemistry with Diaz is phenomenal. With the CBS and NBC networks represented in this movie, ABC isn't left out either, but the actor's presence is such a surprise and so unrecognizable at first, I'm not going to spoil anything. You'll just have to figure it out. Additionally, there's another surprise actor (her name is in the opening credits) who has a small, but delightful role. If you're a fan like I am, my bet is that you'll kick your legs in the air and "love it." Read the rest of the review by googling Cinesnatch Bad Teacher.