Cameron Diaz & Bad Teacher
Cameron Diaz turns 45 today and I watched Bad Teacher, her 2011 comedy (the unrated edition, not the theatrical). Diaz was born in San Diego, California, got her first acting credit in The Mask (1994 comedy with Jim Carrey) and is perhaps best known for the comedy There’s Something About Mary (1998 with Ben Stiller) or the Charlie’s Angels action films (2000 & 2003). She can play the somewhat ditzy role well but as was on display in Bad Teacher, she can also be assertive and manipulative. In the 1990’s, she balanced rom-coms like My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997 with Julia Roberts) and She’s the One (1996 with Jennifer Anniston) with Being John Malkovich (1999 fantasy with John Cusack), and Any Given Sunday (1999 sport drama with Al Pacino). A year after the first Charlie’s Angles came out, Diaz voiced Princess Fiona in Shrek (2001 animated comedy with Mike Myers), and has continued the character in 3 more films and multiple shorts (2001-2012). Diaz also starred in Vanilla Sky (2001 mystery with Tom Cruise), Gangs of New York (2002 crime with Leonardo DiCaprio), The Holiday (2006 rom-com with Jude Law), My Sister’s Keeper (2009 drama with Abigail Breslin), Knight and Day (2010 action with Tom Cruise), and was most recently in Annie (2014 musical with Jamie Foxx).
Bad Teacher
2011, 14A, 1h 32m
Distributor – Sony/Columbia
Budget / Worldwide Box Office (in millions) – $20 / $216
Bad Teacher is a comedy about a lazy, unprofessional teacher who is saving money for cosmetic surgery. Filmed in California and Illinois, Bad Teacher gave Cameron Diaz 92 minutes to swear, lie, manipulate, and tease, and get plenty of laughs in the process. She is often rude, brutal, and offensive, which is especially bad because she is a teacher, and most of the other adults are oblivious (adding to the laughs). The movie is funny because it sounds like what we may be thinking but would never hear a teacher actually say to a child, its honesty and crude language serve it well. Most of the teachers each get their chance to have a comedic moment, and multiple memorable moments include the car wash, the bathroom, and the Dangerous Minds reference. Director Jake Kasdan previously directed Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007 comedy with John C. Reilly), next made Sex Tape (2014 comedy again working with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel), has been announced to direct a sequel to Bad Teacher. Writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg next wrote the series Bad Teacher (2014 comedy with Ari Graynor). Jason Segel, continuing his comedic streak, was previously in Gulliver’s Travels (2010 with Jack Black) and was next in Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011 with Ed Helms), while still appearing in the series How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014 with Alyson Hannigan). Justin Timberlake was previously in The Social Network (2010 drama with Jesse Eisenberg) and was next in Friends with Benefits (2011 rom-com with Mila Kunis). Also appearing in the film is Lucy Punch, Phyllis Smith, John Michael Higgins, and Eric Stonestreet (stealing scenes as Diaz’s roommate, most known for Modern Family 2009-2017). The DVD includes outtakes, an interview between Segel and Timberlake, deleted scenes, and a discussion on the car wash scene.
Links
Cameron Diaz
Bad Teacher