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Bad Teacher Definitely Not Good

Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake star in Jake Kasdan film

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 24, 2011 1:26 PM CDT

(Newser) – Bad Teacher has one bad script, critics say—so bad that a good cast can’t make it work. If you’re feeling nasty, though, you may find a few laughs.

In short, it’s “blandly, boringly bad,” writes Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post. “This fitfully funny but mostly dull misfire defines exactly where the line can be drawn between truly subversive humor and lazy cynicism.”

“Whole chunks of the plot seem to have gone missing,” notes Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times, while “its bad person is neither bad enough [nor] likable enough.” And a dry-humping scene between Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake deserves an award for "worst sex scene ... [of] the decade."
“The whole cast works hard, but there's only so much even A-list actors can do with a C-level script,” observes Elizabeth Weitzman in the New York Daily News. “They're stuck in a one-joke movie, and the title gives the punchline away.”
Still, “to viewers sick of being force-fed inspirational lessons who are looking to mentally flip the bird at authority, this will hit the spot,” writes Luke Thompson for E! Online.

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Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake in a scene from "Bad Teacher." (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures - Sony, Gemma LaMana)

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Showing 3 of 7 comments

professortech

Jun 25, 2011 9:13 AM CDT

Well it seems as if Newser tends to post the critic stories that tend to slam news releases here is an alternative view of this movie from of all places those edu-snobs at NPR - Who would of thought they had a sense of humor about low brow comedy... Must be that damn liberal mind set again ;-) http://www.npr.org/2011/06/24/137378586/class-is-dismissed-bad-teacher-is-crude-but-fun

sidewinder

Jun 25, 2011 6:11 AM CDT

Sounds good...when the critics don't like a movie it's usually a good sign. Now I have to see it.

AmExpat

Jun 24, 2011 2:03 PM CDT

Elizabeth Weitzman, since when do Cameron Diaz & Justin Timberlake constitute A-List actors?

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Bad Teacher Definitely Not Good

Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake star in Jake Kasdan film

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

film • movie review • Justin Timberlake • Cameron Diaz • Jason Segel

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