Bad Teacher was released in the United States on June 24, 2011, by Columbia Pictures. It grossed $216 million.
Plot
Elizabeth Halsey is a lazy and immoral teacher at John Adams Middle School in Chicago. She curses at her students, drinks heavily, smokes marijuana and lets her students watch movies so she can sleep through class. She plans to quit teaching and marry her wealthy fiancé Mark, but he dumps her when his mother shows him that Elizabeth is only after his money, so she resumes her job.
Elizabeth tries to win over wealthy substitute teacher Scott Delacorte, rejecting advances from gym teacher Russell Gettis. Her dedicated and enthusiastic colleague Amy Squirrel also pursues Scott.
Discovering Scott's ex-girlfriend had large breasts, Elizabeth plans to get breast implants. To afford the $9,300 procedure, she participates in the school's 7th-grade car wash wearing provocative clothing, and manipulates parents into giving her money for more school supplies and tutoring. However, she still fails to raise the amount. Amy informs the principal about Elizabeth's embezzlement, but he dismisses the claims when no evidence is provided.
Learning the teacher of the class with the highest state test scores will receive a $5,700 bonus, Elizabeth forces the class to intensely study To Kill a Mockingbird for the test. However, the students score low on the practice quizzes, frustrating her. Scott admits he is attracted to Amy and only likes Elizabeth as a friend. As Amy and Scott start dating, Elizabeth befriends Russell.
To steal the state test answers, Elizabeth impersonates a journalist and seduces Carl Halabi, a state professor in charge of creating and distributing the exams. She convinces Carl to go into his office to have sex, but drugs him and steals the answers. A month later Elizabeth wins the bonus and books her breast enlargement.
Learning that Amy and Scott are chaperoning an upcoming field trip, Elizabeth smears an apple with poison ivy and leaves it for Amy, causing her to get blisters on her face. Substituting for Amy on the trip, Elizabeth seduces Scott. They dry hump and Elizabeth leaves Amy a message through Scott's phone, recording all the action. However, Scott's ever-changing ideals disappoint Elizabeth and she loses interest in him.
After her student Garrett is taunted by his classmates for getting rejected by a superficial girl, Elizabeth consoles him and helps make him popular, which prompts her to begin reflecting on herself.
Back at the school, Amy tricks the janitor into unlocking Elizabeth's desk drawer and finds clues suggesting Elizabeth cheated on the state exam. Amy informs the principal and gets Carl to testify against her. However, Elizabeth took embarrassing photos of Carl and uses them to blackmail him to say she is innocent.
Having been indirectly informed that Amy had switched desks with her, Elizabeth states that teachers in the school use 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, leading to Amy getting arrested and transferred to another school by the superintendent. Scott asks Elizabeth to start over, but she rejects him in favor of Russell, having learned they have a lot in common.
When the new school year starts, Elizabeth has reformed. She is kinder to her co-workers, and has started a relationship with Russell, and did not get her breasts enlarged because she feels that it is unnecessary. Elizabeth also has a new position as the new guidance counselor.
Bad Teacher was 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]
In the film, Cameron Diaz wears mostly Christian Louboutin shoes. This is due to a contract between the film's producers and the fashion company to include the shoes.[10]
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]
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.[11]
Critical response
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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 45% of 193 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's 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."[12]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[13] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[1]Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars writing "there is no chemistry, or indeed even much mutual awareness between Diaz and Timberlake."[14]
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