The Film
Cameron Diaz hasn't been (intentionally) funny since There's Something About Mary. However, when she's bad, she's pretty good -- at least in the case of Bad Teacher.
Bad Teacher is like a foul-mouthed female version of Bad Santa, for the off-season. Diaz stars as Elizabeth Halsey, a teacher that gives the profession a seriously bad name. Since having summers off doesn't leave her enough time to drink and smoke weed, Elizabeth is looking to marry money and turn partying into her full-time job. After being dumped by her sugar-daddy-to-be, she sets her sights on new boobs to snag the school's new sub (Justin Timberlake), who just happens to have a rich family.
Bad Teacher has a good premise, and an even better cast. Then why isn't it a lot funnier? Without a doubt, Diaz has comedic assets beyond being able to look good in a pair of short-shorts. She plays the bitch extremely well and has an equally twisted nemesis in the frighteningly perky Lucy Punch. The film could have earned some extra credit by using the supporting cast better. As it stands, Timberlake, Jason Segal, John Michael Higgins, and Phyllis Smith are more of a blip on the screen.
Need to study up more about this film? Check out Beth McCabe's theatrical review of Bad Teacher.
The Picture
Sony gets an A+ for this 1.85:1 transfer. It's excellent from start to finish. The colors are spot-on and very bold. Diaz wears a lot of hot outfits, of course, which offer up some amazing doses of yellow and red, not to mention the skin tones. The palette is warm and wonderful, and looks phenomenal overall. This super-clean print also offers up an above average amount of detail, which is equally impressive. Articles of clothing reveal their unique texture and background scenery looks great. Also, the varying facial details, which includes everything from lines to stubble to freckles, really pop. This is insanely good looking for any release, let alone a comedy.
The Sound
We actually expected a little more out of Bad Teacher's DTS-HD Master Audio track. That's not to say that it's not an enjoyable experience. The dialogue is the main focus here, and it sounds stellar. Like most comedies, there isn't much going on in the surrounds, which is sort of surprising. There are light atmospheric sounds, but the school surroundings, the field trip, and even Elizabeth's hard-living existence seems like it could have lended itself to some better surround action. Instead those surrounds are really saved for the film's soundtrack, which does manage to perk up an otherwise front-heavy track. It just seems, like the movie, that there should have been more.
The Extras
Bad Teacher's extras get a passing grade, at best. Most of the special features here are short, and focus around some of the supporting characters -- including "A Very Odd Blacksmith Story." Of course, Cameron Diaz's carwash scene gets dissected slightly further and there are deleted scenes, outtakes, bloopers, and a bit on the cast talking about what makes a good teacher. The best of the bunch is probably "Jams Yearbook: Hidden Moments," an interactive section that features cast bios and additional outtakes that you can choose by character.
Final Thoughts
Bad Teacher has a good premise and an A-list cast. Unfortunately, it's just not as funny as it should be. The film seems to drag in spots, which isn't a good thing when the runtime is so short. That said, there are plenty of funny moments and good performances in this one to make it worth a peek. Sony deserves a little extra credit for the audio and video presentation, which push the Bad Teacher Blu-ray up to a passing grade.
Product Details
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