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Reviews
STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED
Unmissable 5 Stars
Excellent 4 Stars
Good 3 Stars
Poor 2 Stars
Tragic 1 Star

FILM DETAILS
Certificate
15
Cast
Cameron Diaz
Jason Segel
Justin Timberlake
Lucy Punch.
Directors
Jake Kasdan.
Screenwriters
Gene Stupnitsky
Lee Eisenberg.
Running Time
92 minutes

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Bad Teacher
Comedy gets a B


Plot
Foul-mouthed seventh grade teacher (Cameron Diaz) is dumped by her sugar daddy. To bounce back, she sets her sights instead on colleague Scott's (Timberlake) affections, but the school's model teacher takes exception to this - and conflict ensues.

Review
Bad Teacher
It’s a surprise, in some ways, that it’s taken so long for a film to obviously trade on the success of Bad Santa. Right off the bat, it’s clear that Bad Teacher is no Bad Santa – it’s too broad for that, while the character stuff is not quite as developed as Terry Zwigoff’s classic – although it is very funny in parts. As a venal, greedy, vulgar teacher only in it to make enough money for a new pair of boobs (and who, pleasingly, doesn’t go through a complete 180-degree personality change), Cameron Diaz is fearless, even taking part in the year’s funniest sex scene... with her real-life ex, Justin Timberlake. It’s patchy and sometimes obsessed with quirk, but it’s good fun throughout, and Lucy Punch walks away with an A+ as the too-good-to-be-true villain of the piece. Can’t wait for Bad Gynecologist.


Verdict
Broader than Bad Santa and less consistently funny, it's still gleefully rude, crude and often a lot of fun.


Reviewed by Chris Hewitt

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Your Reviews

Average user rating for Bad Teacher
Empire Star Rating

Bad Teacher

Hilarious, but a little over-raunchy. Cameron Diaz delivers an A+ performance with this funny take on modern-day teachers. If only the script writers gave her more to work with... ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by norgizfox at 17:51, 30 June 2012 | Report This Post


So so Bad teacher

Okay, some laughs most of which are in the trailer. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by lynnshep at 23:15, 23 February 2012 | Report This Post


So so Bad teacher

Okay, some laughs most of which are in the trailer. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by lynnshep at 23:15, 23 February 2012 | Report This Post


RE: Funny but odd

I thought it was ok.There are too many annoying pointless characters. Segal does his best with the material. Diaz was ok,better than Anniston in Horrible Bosses. 3 stars for me. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by thetruth at 10:29, 03 August 2011 | Report This Post


RE: Funny but odd

Ah, you fell into my trap.  I was being sarcastic Vad3r.  Apart from Rgirvan everyone hated it.  ... More

Posted by theoriginalcynic at 22:54, 01 August 2011 | Report This Post


RE: Funny but odd

L: theoriginalcynic So, nobody liked it then? lol. quote]ORIGINAL: Rgirvan44 I quite liked it! ... More

Posted by vad3r at 21:57, 01 August 2011 | Report This Post


RE: Funny but odd

So, nobody liked it then? lol. ... More

Posted by theoriginalcynic at 20:43, 01 August 2011 | Report This Post


Funny but odd

Despite having a really bad screenplay - the film's clearly been re-written to death, some scenes are just don't seem to fit. Also, suffers from having crap supporting cast. Only Diaz (in her best roles for ages) and Segel (how fat is he!?) bring the laughs. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by tysmuse at 19:48, 10 July 2011 | Report This Post


RE:

i can only say, watching justin timberlake pretend to have sex was really really uncomfortable, since when was building a film around cameron diaz's boobs an exscuse to make said film admittedly, there were a few funny moments, mostly instigated by jason segal, the lone bright spark in an otherwise dull, predictable film ... More

Posted by Swedle at 16:56, 10 July 2011 | Report This Post


Foul-mouthed seventh grade teacher (Cameron Diaz) is dumped by her sugar daddy. To bounce back, she sets her sights instead on colleague Scott's (Timberlake) affections, but the school's model teacher takes exception to this - and conflict ensues. How family friendly a film where the main plot device is a bitch trying to get a boob-job, oh dear. Still Cameron Diaz puts on a worthwhile performance and this film is worth watching just to see her squeezing another girls boobs, now this film is hi... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by lewisb548 at 18:35, 06 July 2011 | Report This Post


RE: I give this a 4 - thats 'Inadequate' in Ofsted speak!!!

Bad Teacher is a something of a missed opportunity. It offered the chance for Cameron Diaz to play up her dark side in a antihero kind of role and she does her best with what the script gives her, unfortunately that isn't a lot. Her character ultimately isn't interesting enough to raise much sympathy. Fair play though for refusing to have a sudden third act redemption for her. Of the supporting cast only Jason Segel really comes across as particularly likeable. Lucy Punch is effective as t... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by Scruffybobby at 11:56, 22 June 2011 | Report This Post


RE: I give this a 4 - thats 'Inadequate' in Ofsted speak!!!

I quite liked it! ... More

Posted by Rgirvan44 at 20:09, 19 June 2011 | Report This Post


I give this a 4 - thats 'Inadequate' in Ofsted speak!!!

At first this film actually seems to promise something almost arty, clips of teachers of yore. And the leaving speech scene at the start is oh so familiar to generations of teachers up and down the country and across the world, the politics of leaving speeches lol! However, very soon this becomes Waterloo Road meets Superbad. Whlie some aspects of this film are genuinely funny, the humour gets more and more lowbrow that less than half way through we are having abused kids (bruised from dodgeball... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by filmsunlimited at 15:45, 19 June 2011 | Report This Post


RE: Everyone involved should be put in special measures immediately

Saw this last night. Easily the worst film of the year. Honestly. I think I laughed 2-3 times, at most. ... More

Posted by nhassell at 14:13, 19 June 2011 | Report This Post


Everyone involved should be put in special measures immediately

I can't believe this atrocity, in which the physical and emotional abuse of children is played for laughs, got three stars in Empire. It is truly awful and is easily the front runner for worst film of the year so far (which is quite a feat given this year has so far brought us The Hangover 2 and will bring us Transformers 3). I actually feel ashamed that I have contributed to the takings of this monstrosity. Everyone involved should be thoroughly, thoroughly ashamed of themselves. A clear case o... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by jpaw1980 at 11:29, 19 June 2011 | Report This Post


RE: Bad Film

I like Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake and Jason Segal and yet, I didn't like this much at all. Bad Teacher is surprisingly unfunny with many of the one liners falling flat and there are some strange character quirks which add nothing. There were very few laughs in the screening I attended. As a teacher might say to a bad pupil, I'm not angry just very disappointed! 3/10 ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by Groovy Mule at 17:34, 18 June 2011 | Report This Post


Bad Film

Should have called it Bad Film. Truly awful, with nothing funny or any redeeming features. Maybe I'm just getting old?..... ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by Bumfluff at 22:00, 17 June 2011 | Report This Post



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