Bad Teacher: Unrated Edition (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Actress Cameron Diaz plays the role of the foul-mouthed, pot smoking, inappropriate high school teacher who will do whatever it takes to raise money for her breast enlargement.  The film has its share of hilarious and outrageous moments but don’t come into this film with any high expectations.  It’s a popcorn blue comedy for those wanting something different from the norm.

Images courtesy of © 2011 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Bad Teacher: Unrated Edition

FILM RELEASE: 2011

DURATION: 92 Minutes (Original Theatrical Version) | 97 Minutes (Unrated Version)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), English, French 5.1 DTS-HD HR, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English -Audio Descriptive Track, Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

COMPANY: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: R (For Sexual Content, Naughty Language and Some Drug Use)

Release Date: October 18, 2011

Directed by James Kasdan

Written by Gene Stupnitsky, Lee Eisenberg

Produced by Jimmy Miller

Executive Produced by Georgia Kacandes

Associate Producer: Carey Dietrich, Melvin Mar

Music by Michael Andrews

Cinematography by Alar Kivilo

Edited by Tara Timpone

Casting by Anya Colloff, Amy McIntyre Britt

Production Design by Jefferson Sage

Art Direction by Andrew Max Cahn

Set Decoration by Ronald R. Reiss

Costume Design by Debra McGuire

Starring:

Cameron Diaz as Elizabeth Halsey

Lucy Punch as Amy Squirrel

Jason Segel as Russell Gettis

Justin Timberlake as Scott Delacorte

Phyllis Smith as Lynn Davies

John Michael Higgins as Principal Wally Snur

Dave Allen as Sandy Pinkus

Jillian Armenante as Ms. Pavicic

Matthew J. Evans as Garrett Tiara

Kaitlyn Dever as Sasha Abernathy

Kathryn Newton as Chase Rubin-Rossi

Igal Ben YAir as Arkady

Aja Bair as Devon

Andra Nechita as Gaby

Noah Munck as Tristan

Finneas OConnell as Spencer

Daniel Castro as Rodrigo

Adrian Kali Turner as Shawn

Eric Stonestreet as Kirk

Thomas Lennon as Carl Halabi

Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) is a foulmouthed, ruthless, and inappropriate teacher. She drinks, gets high, and can’t wait to marry a meal ticket to get out of her bogus day job. When she’s dumped by her fiancé, she sets her sights on a rich, handsome substitute (Justin Timberlake) while shrugging off the advances of the school gym teacher (Jason Segel). The consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students, coworkers, and even herself an education like no other.

Actress Cameron Diaz stars in the blue comedy “Bad Teacher” directed by Jules Kasdan (“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”, “Orange County” and written by comedy writing team Gene Stupnitsky  and Lee Eisenberg (“The Office”, “Year One”).

Despite its mixed critical reviews, the film was a worldwide success in the box office as the $20 million film would go on to gross over $213 million.  Despite the film being rated R, the film would also win three 2011 Teen Choice Awards for best “Choice Comedy”, “Choice Movie Actor” for Justin Timberlake and “Choice Movie Actress” for Cameron Diaz.

And now “Bad Teacher” will be released on Blu-ray with the original theatrical and unrated version included (and another bonus pack release which includes the DVD version of the film).

“Bad Teacher” revolves around Elizabeth Halsey (played by Cameron Diaz, “Charlie’s Angels”, “There’s Something About Mary”, “Being John Malkovich”, “Shrek” films), a teacher who could are less about teaching, a gold digger and a woman who cares more about raising money to fund her breast implants.

After completing a year at the John Adams Middle School and leaving the school to focus on her engagement and marriage, when her fiance’s mother-in-law finds out that she has spent $16,000 of the money in one month, her fiance realizes that perhaps he is being used for the family’s money and she is dumped.

Having no home and no job, she resorts to going back to John Adams Middle School but fellow teacher Amy Squirrel (played by Lucy Punch, “Hot Fuzz”, “Take Me Home Tonight”, “Dinner for Schmucks”) tells her that she would like to see Elizabeth more active.  Last year, they understood that she was busy with her preparing for her own wedding but now that she is no longer engaged, she should now contribute more.

But going back to teaching is the last thing Elizabeth wants to do and during the first week of school, she plays movies for the kids, curses at the kids, known to smoke weed and could care less about being a teacher and stressing more about raising $9,600 for a boob job.

Elizabeth tries to find a wealthy man with a great job to no avail.  But when substitute teacher Scott Delacorte (played by Justin Timberlake, “Friends with Benefits”, “In Time”, “The Social Network”), a grandson of a luxury watchmaker begins teaching at John Adams, Elizabeth does all she can to woo him.  But also trying to woo him is teacher/rival Amy Squirrell.

Meanwhile, the gym coach, Russell Gettis (played by Jason Segel, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, “How I Met Your Mother”, “Knocked Up”) tries to ask Elizabeth out on dates but because his financial status is low, she continually turns him down because of it.

Meanwhile, as Elizabeth is so desperate in trying to make the money needed for her breast job, she is determined.  May it be embezzling money from the school or any way this bad teacher can.

VIDEO:

“Bad Teacher” is presented in High Definition (1:85:1).  The detail of the film is quite high as you can see see the detail of the faces of the characters quite well, especially Cameron Diaz.  With that being said, because there is a good balance between outdoor and indoor scenes, the outdoor scenes are quite vibrant.  Black levels are nice and deep and I didn’t notice any artifacts, banding or edge enhancement.

I’m confident to say that Sony Pictures Home Entertaiment’s streak of bringing out films on Blu-ray with excellent PQ, still continues with the release of “Bad Teacher” on Blu-ray!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Bad Teacher” is presented in English and French 5.1 DTS-HD MA.  For a film like this, you do expect it to be more center and front-channel driven.  Which it is.  But there is some surround sound usage, for example, when a police car accidentally hits another car during the car wash scene, but for the most part, you hear the surrounds more for the musical soundtrack, may it be the ’80s rock songs playing during some parts during the film.  But for a comedy, dialogue is crystal clear and understandable.

Subtitles are presented in English, English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Bad Teacher” comes with the following special features:

When I was in high school, there were a lot of ’80s films that showcased hot teachers.  In fact, music videos such as Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” is a prime example of the “hot teacher”.

But of course, came the ’90s and the 2000’s and unfortunately, a lot of news of inappropriate teacher and student relationships, declining education, children’s education far behind compared to other districts in terms of education  and also bad teachers who were giving their school district a bad name and of course, now there is just more bad news with the economy and teachers trying to keep their classes afloat with lack of supplies and layoffs.

So, needless to say, I was surprised to see a film like “Bad Teacher” come out during this time but if anything, this is a blue comedy, a film that is meant to be profane and so wrong.  And if anything, a film for audiences to laugh and also a film to showcase that actress Cameron Diaz still has it takes to be sexy and fun.

Granted, while the film critics had mixed feelings about the film, there was no doubt that the audiences made a statement by its huge box office earnings that people, during this time of a bad economy worldwide, everyone wants a film to get away from reality and laugh.

And what best than to have a protagonist who is foul-mouthed and definitely inappropriate.

While there is no doubt that having Cameron Diaz, especially trailers showcasing her sexy car washing scene, having comedic stars such as “How I Met Your Mother” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” star Jason Segel, “Hot Fuzz” star Lucy Punch, “The Office” Phyllis Smith, improv comedian John Michael Higgins and huge pop star Justin Timberlake, you literally have a recipe of a film that will no doubt be a bit raunchy, politically incorrect but will definitely make one laugh and for the most part is fun!

I have to say that I was quite surprised about “Bad Teacher” as the character of Elizabeth Halsey is a foul-mouthed, vain and ruthless character, it was a character that you just don’t see Cameron Diaz playing.  But she did a fantastic job playing the role and her supporting cast definitely did their job in making “Bad Teacher” an interesting film.

Is it a great film?  Definitely not but this is one of those films where you wonder how far the director can go with it and you just sit back, grab your popcorn and enjoy.

Cameron Diaz still looks fantastic in her 40’s as she did in her 20’s when she starred on “It’s Something About Mary”, while the latter will be remembered for its hilarious scenes and surprising moments, “Bad Teacher” is a film that is more of a vehicle showcasing a sexy Cameron Diaz playing a naughty woman.  And there is no doubt that there is a demographic who will love this film just for that!

The theatrical and unrated version is included on this Blu-ray release and definitely showcased a few raunchy scenes, no nudity but definitely has its share of adult humor.  And with that being said, despite the film winning three “Teen Choice Awards”, parents… this is not a film for your young children or younger teens.

As for the Blu-ray release, the details and vibrant colors of the film definitely highlights the picture quality of the film, lossless audio is appropriate but is used more for ambiance or the ’80s rock music that plays from time-to-time.  And there are a good amount of special features included.

Overall, “Bad Teacher” has its share of outrageous moments and it does feature a pretty cool supporting cast, but in the end, it’s a popcorn blue comedy that has its share of shock value for its humor and profaneness rather than showcasing nudity or anything similar to those teacher/student films of the late ’70s and ’80s.  But compared to the films I grew up with in the ’80s, “Bad Teacher” is quite tame.

And in terms of sexual chemistry and character development, you can throw that out of the door.  If anything, this is a film that relies a lot on Cameron Diaz showing off her sexy body and saying and doing naughty things.  And in some ways, the film has more in common with a film like “Bad Santa” by showcasing inappropriate moments.  If that works for you, then this blue comedy is definitely for you.  Otherwise, if you are looking for a well-written screenplay or anything too deep, then you may want to pass on this film.