Bad Teacher
Bad Teacher is a 2011 American comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan from a screenplay by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, and starring Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch, Jason Segel, and Phyllis Smith.
| Bad Teacher | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jake Kasdan |
| Produced by | Jimmy Miller David Householter |
| Written by | Lee Eisenberg Gene Stupnitsky |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Michael Andrews |
| Cinematography | Alar Kivilo |
| Edited by | Tara Timpone |
Production company | Columbia Pictures Mosaic Media Group |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $216.2 million[2] |
The film was released in the United States and Canada on June 24, 2011. It focuses on a lazy middle school teacher who returns to the teaching job she hates and tries to make enough money for breast implants after her wealthy fiancé dumps her.
Plot
Elizabeth Halsey is a lazy, gold-digging Chicago-area middle school teacher at John Adams Middle School who curses at her students, drinks heavily, smokes marijuana, and only shows movies while she sleeps through class. She plans to quit teaching and marry her wealthy fiancé, but when he dumps her after learning from his mother that Elizabeth is only after his money, she resumes her job. She tries to win over wealthy substitute teacher Scott Delacorte. Amy Squirrel, a dedicated but overly enthusiastic teacher and colleague of Elizabeth, also pursues Scott while the school's gym teacher, Russell Gettis, makes advances on Elizabeth, which she rejects.
Elizabeth plans to have her breasts enlarged, and becomes all the more motivated to do so once she learns Scott's ex-girlfriend had large breasts. However, she cannot afford the $9,300 procedure. To make matters worse, Scott admits that he has a crush on Amy, only viewing Elizabeth as a friend. Elizabeth attempts to raise money for the surgery by participating in her 7th grade class car wash in provocative clothing and by manipulating parents to give her money for more school supplies and tutoring, but her efforts are not enough. Amy, acting on the growing resentment between them due to her pursuit of Scott and ignoring of school rules, attempts to warn the principal about Elizabeth's embezzlement, but he dismisses her claims as groundless.
Elizabeth later learns that the teacher of the class with the highest state test scores will receive a $5,700 bonus. With this knowledge, Elizabeth decides to change her style of teaching, forcing the class to study intensely for the upcoming test. However, the change is too late. The students have low scores on their quizzes, frustrating her even more. Meanwhile, she befriends Russell, as Amy and Scott start dating. Elizabeth plans to steal the state test answers by impersonating a journalist and seducing Carl Halabi, a state professor who is in charge of creating and distributing the exams. Elizabeth convinces Carl to go into his office to have sex, but drugs him and steals the answer key. A month later Elizabeth wins the bonus, completing her needed funds, and books her breast enlargement.
When Elizabeth learns that Amy and Scott are chaperoning an upcoming field trip, she smears an apple with poison ivy and leaves it for Amy, who ends up with blisters covering her face and cannot go. On the trip, Elizabeth seduces Scott. They dry hump and Elizabeth secretly calls Amy using Scott's phone leaving a message recording all the action, ensuring she knows about the affair. Elizabeth later gives advice to one of her students who has an unrequited crush on the superficial Chase in class, which causes her to reflect on her own superficial ways.
Back at the school, Amy switches Elizabeth's desk with her own to trick the janitor into unlocking Elizabeth's sealed drawer. The evidence Amy finds leads her to suspect Elizabeth cheated on the state exam. Amy informs the principal and gets Carl to testify against her. However, Elizabeth took embarrassing photos of Carl while he was drugged and uses them to blackmail him into saying she is innocent. Having noticed her desk was switched, Elizabeth informs the principal that some teachers in the school are doing drugs. When the police bring a sniffer dog to search the school, they find Elizabeth's mini liquor bottles, marijuana and OxyContin pills in Amy's classroom, in Elizabeth's desk. Amy is reassigned to the worst school in the state by the superintendent. Scott asks Elizabeth to start over, but Elizabeth rejects him in favor of a relationship with Russell.
When the new school year starts, Elizabeth has reformed; she is kinder to her co-workers, has started a relationship with Russell, and did not get her breasts enlarged because she feels that it is unnecessary. She also has a new position as the school's new guidance counselor.
Cast
- Cameron Diaz as Elizabeth Halsey, a lazy, gold-digging and drug-abusing teacher
- Lucy Punch as Amy Squirrel, a spiteful and neurotic teacher and Elizabeth's co-worker, who schemes to get Elizabeth discredited, fired, and arrested
- Jason Segel as Russell Gettis, a gym teacher who is smitten with Elizabeth
- Justin Timberlake as Scott Delacorte, a wealthy substitute teacher whom Elizabeth likes
- Phyllis Smith as Lynn Davies, Elizabeth's best friend, co-worker and fellow teacher
- John Michael Higgins as Principal Wally Snur, the principal
- Dave Allen as Sandy Pinkus
- Jillian Armenante as Ms. Pavicic
- Matthew J. Evans as Garrett Tiara, a lovestruck boy
- Kaitlyn Dever as Sasha Abernathy, a student who seems to idolize Elizabeth
- Kathryn Newton as Chase Rubin-Rossi, a popular, superficial student and Garrett's crush
- Molly Shannon as Melody (Garrett's Mom), who invites Elizabeth to spend Christmas with her family
- Eric Stonestreet as Kirk, Elizabeth's roommate
- Noah Munck as Tristan, one of Elizabeth's students who frequently bullies Garrett
- Finneas O'Connell as Spencer, one of Elizabeth's students
- Thomas Lennon as Carl Halabi, an educator who gets seduced and blackmailed by Elizabeth
- Jeff Judah as Janitor at the school
- Nat Faxon as Mark, Elizabeth's wealthy fiancé who dumps her at the beginning of the film
- David Paymer as Doctor Vogel, plastic surgeon
- Christine Smith as Danni, a patient of Doctor Vogel with augmented breasts
- Paul Feig as Dad at Carwash
- Deirdre Lovejoy as Sasha's Mother
- Jerry Lambert as Morgan's Dad
Production
Bad Teacher is directed by Jake Kasdan based on a screenplay by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. Columbia Pictures purchased Eisenberg and Stupnitsky's spec script in August 2008.[3] In May 2009, Kasdan was hired to direct Bad Teacher.[4] The following December, Cameron Diaz was cast in the film's lead role.[5] Justin Timberlake was cast opposite Diaz in March 2010, and filming began later in the month.[6]
Release
Box office
The film grossed $100.3 million in the U.S. and Canada, while its worldwide total stands at $216.2 million.[2] Documents from the Sony Pictures hack revealed the film turned a profit of $64 million.[7]
The film was released in North America on June 20, 2011, in 3,049 theaters. It took in $12,243,987—$4,016 per theater—in its opening day, and grossed a total of $31,603,106 in its opening weekend, finishing second at the box office, behind Cars 2.[2] In Germany, the film reached No. 1 on the country's Cinema Charts in its opening week after 496,000 people saw the film. This caused Kung Fu Panda 2, which reached No. 1 the week before, to fall to No. 2.[8]
Critical response
Bad Teacher received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 44%, based on 178 reviews, with a rating average of 5.3/10. The site's critical 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."[9] Metacritic gave the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10] CinemaScore polls reported that moviegoers gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.[1]
Accolades
| Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 ALMA Awards[11] | Favorite Movie Actress – Comedy/Musical | Cameron Diaz | Nominated |
| 2011 Teen Choice Awards[12] | Choice Movie – Comedy | Won | |
| Choice Movie Actor – Comedy | Justin Timberlake | Won | |
| Choice Movie Actress – Comedy | Cameron Diaz | Won | |
| 33rd Young Artist Awards[13] | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor | Matthew J. Evans | Won |
| Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actress | Kaitlyn Dever | Nominated | |
| 2012 BMI Film & TV Awards[14] | Film Music Award | Michael Andrews | Won |
Possible sequel and TV series
On June 20, 2013, Sony announced that it was working on Bad Teacher 2. The company hired Justin Malen to write the sequel. Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, who wrote the first film, will return as producers. A release from Sony studios said the project is "being developed for Cameron Diaz to star in the film, but no deal is yet set with the actress." Jake Kasdan will again be the director.[16]
On May 23, 2013, CBS announced a TV series based on the movie, with CBS Studios and Sony Pictures Television as production partners. The show premiered on April 24, 2014, in the 9:30pm time slot.[17] Ari Graynor played the Cameron Diaz role,[18] while Sara Gilbert, Ryan Hansen, David Alan Grier, Kristin Davis and Sara Rodier also appeared. On May 10, 2014, CBS canceled Bad Teacher after airing only three episodes.[19] Bad Teacher last aired during the spring TV season on May 22, 2014. However, in July 2014, CBS burned off the remaining unseen episodes by showing two episodes on Saturday nights.
References
- Kaufman, Amy; Fritz, Ben (June 30, 2011). "Movie Projector: 'Transformers' will detonate competition at holiday box office". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
- "Bad Teacher (2011)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- Fleming, Michael (August 26, 2008). "'Teacher' in Columbia's class". Variety.
- Fernandez, Jay A. (May 27, 2009). "Director Jake Kasdan enrolls for 'Bad Teacher'". Reuters.
- Siegel, Tatiana (December 9, 2009). "Cameron Diaz is a 'Bad Teacher'". Variety.
- Siegel, Tatiana (March 2, 2010). "Justin Timberlake hot for 'Teacher'". Variety.
- "Physical Year End 2013-Budget Presentation". WikiLeaks. March 16, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- "GFK Entertainment – "Bad Teacher" holt Bestnoten". June 27, 2011.
- "Bad Teacher". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango (company). Retrieved July 9, 2014.
- "Bad Teacher Reviews, Ratings, Credits". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- "2011 NLCR ALMA Awards – Nominees" (PDF). almaawards.com. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
- Ng, Philiana (July 19, 2011). "Teen Choice Awards 2011: 'Pretty Little Liars,' Rebecca Black Added to List of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
- "33rd Annual Young Artist Awards – Nominations / Special Awards". The Young Artist Foundation. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
- Gallo, Phil (May 17, 2012). "Backbeat: Rolfe Kent Receives Career Achievement Honor at BMI Film and TV Awards". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
- "Bad Teacher Blu-ray: Unrated + Theatrical". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
- O'Neal, Sean (June 20, 2013). "Bad Teacher 2 to further explore the badness of teachers". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
- London, Derry (April 24, 2014). "'Bad Teacher' From CBS Premieres Tonight at 9:30PM". www.wltx.com. WTLX 19. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
- 'The Crazy Ones' and 'Two and a Half Men' Switch Timeslots + CBS Announces 'Bad Teacher' & 'Unforgettable' Premieres
- Swift, Andy (May 10, 2014). "CBS Cancels The Crazy Ones, Intelligence, Friends With Better Lives and Two Other Series". TVLine. Retrieved May 10, 2014.