Bad Teacher. Good Film

I was lucky enough to win a double pass to see Cameron Diaz's latest flick, Bad Teacher, in which she plays possibly one of the bet characters I have seen on screen in a long time. 

The film centers around Elizabeth Halsey, your typical, dysfunctional 21st center who doesn't see fault in the old-fashioned tradition of having a man take care of you financially. In fact, she actually encourages it. The film opens onto her expected engagement to an absolutely drip of a man who's balls a clearly the possession of his wealthy mother, the only attraction she has being his hefty back pocket. When the engagement is broken off, Elizabeth is forced to return to her day job as a teacher, a profession which demands passion and commitment, neither of which she has any time for. Elizabeth's belief is that her inability to find a husband is due to her flat chest and so she embarks on the egotistical journey towards raising enough funds to 'enhance her assets'. A new potential at work in the form of Justin Timberlake motivates her towards her goal whilst her arch nemesis Amy (played by the hilarious Lucy Punch) puts the perfect number of obstacles in her way to pace the film. 

There is so much wrong with Elizabeth. She's rude; ignorant; manipulative; and incredibly self-centred. But you can't help loving her. For all her negative qualities are incredibly human, strikingly so I would say, and what I love is that she doesn't change by the end of the film. The directors and writers allowed her to get away with her horrible antics and for that I am truly surprised and grateful. 

Bad Teacher has a number of horrible messages and at the same time, a fair few that are incredibly real: if you're true to yourself, not a lot of people may be interested; however, one day you will have your moment. Being a perfectionist doesn't always get the results you're wanting; but you do need to work hard to achieve your goals. It's good to have standards; but you also need to know when to drop them. 

Finally, I believe the best message the film promotes is the idea that above all, life is an ever-evolving process, whether you're conscious of it or not is not important. It's whether you can accept it. 

It's not a great film and there are many awkward moments. I think it could have been improved if the narrative had occurred in a shorter space of time as opposed to the year it was dragged out to. But the acting is spot on and the causation honest and true to the inner story. An enjoyable film with some good moments.