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movies reviews

Bad Teacher – Josh’s Review

Synopsis: A foul-mouthed and unprofessional teacher (Cameron Diaz) looking for her next sugar daddy targets the new substitute (Justin Timberlake) as a potential meal ticket. She concocts and scheme to win his affection, one that will require her to get the best out of her students and will put her up against her eager and more-popular colleague (Lucy Punch). *IMDb.com

I was given the opportunity to see an advanced screening of Bad Teacher.  My wife really wanted to see this movie because she is a teacher, so I decided to take her with me.  She was excited to see a movie based around a school and showing the teachers “behind the scenes” like in the teachers lounge and in meetings.  I was a bit worried that this would be a movie that the comedy would be completely based around teachers and if you were not a teacher some of the jokes would pass you by.

The movie starts at the end of a school year and teacher Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) will not be returning the next year because she is getting married.  Her husband has A LOT of money and is is clear that is why she is marrying him.  Her fiance puts things together and realizes she is marrying him for the money, and breaks off the engagment.  So, Elizabeth has to return to teaching the next year.

The school year starts and rather than teach Ms. Halsey allows her class to watch movies rather than follow the sylibas for the class.  This starts to draw attention from other teachers and the school Principal Mr. Wally Snur (John Michael Higgins).  Ms. Halsey’s main goal is to make enough money so she can have breast augmentation.  Her thought is if she has bigger boobs she can attract a man with money and not have to teach anymore.

Ms. Halsey sets her sights on new substitute teacher in the school Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake).  Delacorte is from a family that is very wealthy and he stands to inherit a huge sum of money.  Things do not go to Halsey’s plans, she has to fight for Delacorte’s attention.  Halsey’s biggest enemy has become the love interest of Delacort and Halsey tries her hardest to redirect his attention to her.

About halfway through the year Halsey finds out she could win some serious cash if her class is the top performer on the Illinois standardized test that is given each year.  She comes into class the next day with renewed passion for teaching and is a drill sergeant.  The kids in her class recoil with the idea of doing actual work in her class rather than playing around.

Does Halsey win the money?  What will she do to get her class to be top performers?  Does she win the affection of Delacorte?  Does she find love?  Does she get a boob job?  Find out when you go see Bad Teacher, in theaters June 24, 2011

The supporting cast in this movie, to me, was the bright spot of this movie.  Jason SegelJustin TimberlakeJohn Michael Higgins, and Phyllis Smith all played supporting rolls and really made this movie.  Phyllis plays another teacher in school, and was one of my favorite characters.  There is a lot of adult humor in this movie include pot smoking, sexual jokes, bare breasts, and dry humping between Timberlake and Diaz.  Overall I thought this was a pretty funny movie, and the jokes were not just teacher jokes.  Most importantly my wife, a teacher, loved it.  I think teachers in general will really like this movie and probably work with a few of the characters portrayed.

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