Bad Teacher (2011)
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A lazy middle school teacher must navigate the fallout of a breakup by returning to the job she despises.
The story
Elizabeth Halsey is a lazy and immoral teacher at John Adams Middle School in Chicago who hates her job, her students, and her co-workers. She spends her time drinking, smoking marijuana, and letting students watch movies while she sleeps. She plans to quit her position to marry her wealthy fiancé, Mark, but he dumps her after discovering she is only interested in his money. Forced to return to her teaching job, Elizabeth begins a series of schemes to improve her life, including trying to win over a wealthy substitute teacher while navigating conflicts with her colleagues.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Elizabeth Halsey, a lazy and immoral teacher at John Adams Middle School in Chicago, is dumped by her wealthy fiancé, Mark, for being a gold digger. She returns to her job where she drinks, smokes marijuana, and lets students watch movies. To fund a breast enlargement surgery, she participates in a school car wash in provocative clothing and manipulates parents for money. She also tries to win over a wealthy substitute teacher, Scott Delacorte, while her colleague Amy Squirrel also pursues him. Elizabeth eventually forces her class to study 'To Kill a Mockingbird' to win a state test bonus. To steal the answers, she seduces and drugs a state professor, Carl Halabi. After winning the bonus, she causes Amy to get blisters with poison ivy and later seduces Scott while substituting for her. Amy eventually discovers Elizabeth's cheating and drugs, leading to Amy's arrest and transfer. Elizabeth eventually finds common ground with gym teacher Russell Gettis. By the new school year, Elizabeth has reformed, become a guidance counselor, and decided against the breast surgery.
- First release year
- 2011
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jake Kasdan
- Writers
- Lee Eisenberg · writer; Gene Stupnitsky · writer
- Cast and characters
- Cameron Diaz · Elizabeth Halsey; Justin Timberlake · Scott Delacorte; Lucy Punch · Amy Squirrel; John Michael Higgins · Russell Gettis; Jason Segel · Carl Halabi
- Genres
- comedy; black comedy; sex comedy
- Themes
- greed; workplace dynamics; redemption
- Tone and mood
- raunchy; crude; comedic
- Premise and plot tags
- teacher; romance; comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- spec script
- Franchise connections
- TV series
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, described as a crude comedy with a promising concept but lacking in humor.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 45% · scale: positive · review count: 193; Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 38; CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Choice Movie – Comedy · Teen Choice Awards · 2011 · win; Choice Movie Actor – Comedy · Teen Choice Awards · 2011 · win; Choice Movie Actress – Comedy · Teen Choice Awards · 2011 · win; Favorite Comedy Movie · People's Choice Awards · 38th · nomination; Best Comedy · Golden Trailer Awards · 2011 · nomination; Favorite Movie Actress – Comedy/Musical · ALMA Awards · 12th · nomination
- Production trivia
- Cameron Diaz wears mostly Christian Louboutin shoes due to a production contract.; John Burroughs Middle School was used as the location for John Adams Middle School.; The film grossed $216 million worldwide.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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