Bad Teacher

Bad Teacher is all about Cameron Diaz. Her pouting lips and long legs on the poster and a trailer so Diaz-centric it has sold itself on the premise of Diaz alone being the draw to get audiences into the cinema. Is it a risk though? It’s a while now since Diaz has had a hit and, as is Hollywood’s way, despite being only in her late 30's, roles that she may have been considered for in the past are now being snapped up by younger actresses. So, it’s clear that this is Diaz’s vehicle, but does she and director Jake Kasdan make the best of it? In the film Cameron plays Elizabeth Halsey, an, ahem, bad teacher, who’s teaching ethic revolves around making the kids watch videos whilst having a snooze at her desk. Halsey only begins to show an interest in helping American education when she discovers that winning a cash prize due to her students test scores can help her with a breast enlargement, namely in order to snare new teacher Scott Delacorte (a game, but miscast Justin Timberlake). Goodbye Mr Chips, this ain’t. In effect, with its odd storyline and short running time, this comes across as an extended episode of an American sitcom, especially with the quirky characters that inhabit the school (the Headmaster ignoring Halsey's sackable antics such as writing swear words on children's homework due to her faux love of dolphins). This is sporadically very funny, but the line of humour is never clear as it swings wildly between straight, black and outright crudeness meaning a number of gags fall flat as it’s unclear whether they should be taken at face value or not. Cameron is good in the lead, but the show is stolen by Lucy Punch as a rival teacher. With convincing American accent, Punch steals most of the scenes she is in and gives an amusing portrait of a person desperately trying to suppress their highly strung tendencies through a combination of insincere gestures and strained smiles. Overall, a straight C. Is that enough to save Cameron's flailing career though?

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

Not many ideas, but enough laughs to see you through the short running time. Rating: 6/10.