Bad Teacher

''Bad Teacher'' is a 2011 American comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan and written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. The film stars Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch, John Michael Higgins, and Jason Segel, and follows a cynical, self-absorbed middle school teacher who returns to the classroom after being dumped by her wealthy fiancé, with the aim of finding another rich partner.

The film was released in the United States on June 24, 2011, by Columbia Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics but emerged as a commercial success at the box office, grossing over $216 million worldwide against a budget of $20 million.

At the 2011 Teen Choice Awards, ''Bad Teacher'' won 3 awards – Choice Movie – Comedy, Choice Movie Actor – Comedy (Timberlake), and Choice Movie Actress – Comedy (Diaz). The film also received 2 nominations at the 38th People's Choice Awards – Favorite Comedy Movie and Favorite Comedic Movie Actress (Diaz).

Plot

Elizabeth Halsey is a cynical, self-absorbed teacher at John Adams Middle School in Chicago. She shows little interest in her job, frequently drinking alcohol, using marijuana, and showing movies during class to avoid teaching. Planning to leave her position to marry a wealthy fiancé, her plans fall apart when he breaks off the engagement after being warned by his mother about Elizabeth’s intentions.

Forced to return to work, Elizabeth sets her sights on Scott Delacorte, a wealthy and naive substitute teacher while ignoring the affections of gym teacher Russell Gettis. Scott soon becomes involved with Amy Squirrel, an overly enthusiastic and competitive teacher who also dislikes Elizabeth.

After discovering that Scott’s ex-girlfriend had large breasts, Elizabeth becomes determined to undergo breast augmentation surgery in hopes of attracting him. Lacking the necessary funds, she raises money through questionable methods, including a suggestive school car wash, manipulating parents for “school supplies,” and charging students for unqualified tutoring sessions. Amy becomes suspicious and alerts the principal but lacks evidence to support her claims.

Learning of a $5,700 bonus awarded to the teacher with the highest standardized test scores, Elizabeth focuses her efforts on preparing her class for the exam. When her students perform poorly on practice tests, she resorts to cheating by drugging a state test official and stealing the answer key. Her class ultimately achieves the highest scores, and she is awarded the bonus.

Meanwhile, tensions escalate between Elizabeth and Amy. To sabotage Amy’s chances with Scott, Elizabeth plants poison ivy on an apple and tricks her into eating it, resulting in a severe allergic reaction. Elizabeth then accompanies Scott on a field trip and attempts to seduce him but ultimately finds his personality shallow and loses interest. Instead, she begins to bond with Russell, realizing they have more in common.

After one of her students, Garrett, is mocked for being rejected by a girl, Elizabeth offers him advice and helps boost his confidence.

Unknowingly to Elizabeth, Amy, suspicious of a locked drawer in Elizabeth's desk, swaps her desk with Elizabeth's and then tells the janitor that she lost her keys to the desk drawer to get the janitor to unlock the drawer. Amy then uncovers evidence inside the drawer suggesting Elizabeth cheated on the state test and persuades Carl Halabi, the test official, to testify against Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth blackmails Carl with compromising photos to protect herself. Elizabeth suggests that there are teachers in the school who use drugs. Amy concurs. When police investigate, they find the drugs in Elizabeth's desk, swapped with Amy's. The police mistakenly believe that the drugs are Amy's and arrest her. Amy is removed from the school, and Elizabeth avoids consequence.

By the new school year, Elizabeth has undergone a transformation. She no longer pursues materialistic goals, has declined the breast surgery, and treats her colleagues more respectfully. She begins a relationship with Russell and takes on a new role as the school’s guidance counselor.

Cast

Production

''Bad Teacher'' was directed by Jake Kasdan, based on a screenplay by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. In August 2008, Columbia Pictures acquired the duo’s spec script. Kasdan was hired to direct the film in May 2009, and Cameron Diaz was cast in the lead role in December 2009. Justin Timberlake joined the cast in March 2010, and principal photography began later that month.

Filming took place in Los Angeles, California. John Burroughs Middle School served as the location for the fictional "John Adams Middle School" featured in the film.

In terms of wardrobe, Diaz is frequently seen wearing Christian Louboutin shoes. This was the result of a promotional agreement between the film’s producers and the fashion brand to feature its products on screen.

Release

Box office

''Bad Teacher'' grossed $100.3 million in the United States and Canada and $115.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $216.2 million.

The film was released in North America on June 20, 2011, across 3,049 theaters. It earned $12.2 million on its opening day, averaging approximately $4,016 per theater, and went on to gross $31.6 million in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office behind ''Cars 2''.

In Germany, ''Bad Teacher'' debuted at #1 on the national cinema charts, with approximately 496,000 admissions in its opening week. Its strong performance displaced ''Kung Fu Panda 2'' which fell to second place after topping the charts the previous week.

Critical response

''Bad Teacher'' received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 45% based on 193 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website’s consensus reads: "In spite of a promising concept and a charmingly brazen performance from Cameron Diaz, ''Bad Teacher'' is never as funny as it should be." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

''Entertainment Weekly'' praised Diaz’s “fearless comic timing” and described the film as “a bold, if inconsistent, summer comedy.” A. O. Scott of ''The New York Times'' called it “cynical and funny,” commending Diaz’s commitment to an unapologetically flawed character while acknowledging the film’s uneven tone. ''Alternative Magazine Online'' noted the film as being “fun, fast-paced, and frequently hilarious,” highlighting the performances and comic energy.

''IGN'' stated that Diaz delivered an entertaining performance but found ''Bad Teacher'' structurally weak and reliant on crude humor. '' NPR''’s Mark Jenkins described it as “occasionally amusing” but criticized its lack of character development and emotional depth. ''The Presbyterian Outlook'' observed that while the film briefly touched on ethical themes within the education system, it ultimately prioritized vulgarity over substance.

''Common Sense Media'' notes "Parents need to know that this raunchy comedy about a jaded, selfish, foul-mouthed middle-school teacher will likely attract teen fans expecting an over-the-top Apatowian laugh-fest, but what you get instead is an underwhelming film that's long on unlikeable characters (even though they're played by appealing stars like Diaz and Timberlake) and short on wit or insight."

Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave ''Bad Teacher'' 2 out of 4 stars, writing that there was “no chemistry, or indeed even much mutual awareness between Diaz and Timberlake.” Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' called it “a sporadically funny, largely charmless comedy,” while James Berardinelli of ''ReelViews'' described it as “a one-joke movie” that failed to expand on its concept. '' The Boston Phoenix'' criticized the film’s “mean-spirited tone” and underuse of its ensemble cast.

Accolades

Home media

''Bad Teacher'' was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on October 18, 2011.

Television series

On May 23, 2013, CBS announced a television series adaptation of ''Bad Teacher'', with CBS Studios and Sony Pictures Television serving as production partners. The series premiered on April 24, 2014, airing in the 9:30 p.m. time slot. Ari Graynor starred in the lead role originally played by Cameron Diaz, joined by Sara Gilbert, Ryan Hansen, David Alan Grier, Kristin Davis, and Sara Rodier.

On May 10, 2014, CBS canceled the series after airing only three episodes, citing low ratings.

References

External links

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{{Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Comedy

2011 films
2011 black comedy films
2010s American films
2010s English-language films
2010s sex comedy films
American black comedy films
American sex comedy films
Columbia Pictures films
Films about educators
Films directed by Jake Kasdan
Films scored by Michael Andrews
Films set in 2010
Films set in 2011
Films adapted into television shows
Films set in Chicago
Films shot in Los Angeles
Films with screenplays by Gene Stupnitsky
Films with screenplays by Lee Eisenberg
Middle school films
Teen Choice Award winning films
English-language black comedy films
English-language sex comedy films