At least she’s consistent, because there’s nothing seemly about her entire character in Bad Teacher – a foul mouthed, frequently hungover high school teacher who is just looking for a man who can support her extravagant lifestyle. She sets her sights on new teacher on the block Justin Timberlake but gets it into her head that the only way they’ll ever be together is if she gets a boob job. Her one hope is the annual bonus handed out to the teacher with the best grades – cue a race to become the best bad teacher she can.
Feminists may rage at the message of the film but Bad Teacher has the potential for some mean spirited laughs, in the vein of Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa. Diaz has some comedy chops and has done raunchy comedy – plus there’s always the appeal of needless cursing in front of children. Timberblake proved his mettle in The Social Network and could be fine so long as he sticks to the straight man while there’s back up from the always dependable Jason Segel (place your bets now for which guy she ends up with) as well as The Office’s Phyllis Smith and the ubiquitous and certifiable Lucy Punch.
Director Kasdan is the son of the pretty legendary Lawrence Kasdan – who not only directed the likes of The Big Chill and Wyatt Earp but also wrote Empire Strikes Back! His offspring has bypassed drama for the most part, heading straight for comedy with a few features under his belt like Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Helping him harness the laughs are Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, long time writers on the American Office. They also wrote Year Zero.