Bad Teacher

She won't grade you an F, because she doesn't give an F.

Bad Teacher is a 2011 comedy film starring Cameron Diaz as a middle school teacher in the Illinois school system with a somewhat crude streak...When a new substitute teacher (Justin Timberlake) enters the picture and she finds out he comes from a wealthy family, she decides she needs a boob job in order to win his affection. And as fate would have it, the best teacher in the district receives a bonus that year, and she decides to turn her slovenly ways around in order to acquire it, by becoming the best teacher ever. Obviously, it's easier said than done.

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Tropes used in Bad Teacher include:

• Actor Allusion: Jason Segel says the line, "I'm just f***ing with you" fromThere's Something About Mary which Cameron Diaz played in.
  • "They don't do this is songs anymore" is a reference to Senorita' from Justin Timberlake's singing days. also the fact his character is a part time singer.
• A-Cup Angst
• Apathetic Teacher: Elizabeth goes from this to Sadist Teacher to Cool Teacher.
• Asleep in Class: but not the students...
• The Bad Guy Wins: Elizabeth got away with several things she's done and even got Amy's wealthy boyfriend. And she didn't even want him anymore in the end.
• Betty and Veronica: Russell is the Betty (good-hearted and a bit of a schlub) to Scott's Veronica (wealthy and handsome) to Elizabeth's Archie.
  • Similarly, we have Elizabeth's Veronica (a sarcastic and brash Gold Digger) to Amy's Betty (sweet and moral) to Scott's Archie.
• Black Comedy
• Calling Your Orgasms: Timberlake's character in his "sex scene".
• Cassandra Truth: Everyone seems completely oblivious to the truth of Amy's complaints about Elizabeth.
• Chekhov's Gun: The sticker on Amy's desk.
• Crapsack World: Comedic version. Almost every character is a Jerkass, a nutcase, insecure/insincere or completely pathetic.
• Deadpan Snarker: Elizabeth, obviously. Russell as well, though he tends to play his in a much more subtle manner.
• The Determinator: Elizabeth
• Everything's Nuttier With Squirrels: Or at least people with the last name "Squirrel".
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Yup, she's a teacher. And she's bad at it.
• Fake American: Lucy Punch portrays Amy with a pretty impressive Midwestern/Chicago area accent.
• Foil: Elizabeth and Amy are as different as it gets. Elizabeth is a cynical Gold Digger and brutally honest, while Amy hides her vindictiveness underneath a sweet and cheery facade.
• Frame-Up: and the victim walks right into it.
• Going Commando: Elizabeth, or so she says.
• Gold Digger: Elizabeth, and she gets found out pretty early on. Doesn't stop her from trying with rich new sub.
• Gosh Dang It to Heck: "Shut the front door!"
  • "Shish kabobs!"
• G-Rated Sex: Scott and Elizabeth in the hotel room.
• Gym Class Rope Climb: The gym teacher shows Elizabeth how it should be done...kinda.
• Hero Antagonist: Amy Squirrel.
• Heroes Want Redheads: Scott, the object of Elizabeth's affection, is dating Amy, who is a redhead.
• Hood Ornament Hottie: Elizabeth helping raise money for a "good cause".
• Hot Teacher: Elizabeth, especially when she needs to raise money. One male student gets a Raging Stiffie watching her perform her car wash dance sequence.
  • Amy's quite pretty too.
• Holier Than Thou: Amy falls into this.
• Jerkass: Elizabeth, though for some her Pet the Dog moments might shift her over into Jerk with a Heart of Gold territory.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Elizabeth falls into this in the end.
• Jizzed in My Pants: Timberlake's character...and we see the proof
• Karma Houdini: Elizabeth decides against a boob job in the end... but she still (presumambly) keeps the money and certainly dodges punishment for her various crimes.
• Large Ham: Amy Squirrel.
• Like a Weasel: Scott is easier to edit than Wikipedia.
• Misplaced Kindergarten Teacher: Amy Squirrel.
• Noodle Incident: Whatever did happen to Amy Squirrel in 2008? Some sort of mental breakdown is implied but the details are only hinted at.
• Not in the Face: Elizabeth when taking a dodgeball for the cause.
• Pet the Dog: In one scene, Elizabeth gives her bra to one of her shy, awkward students so that he can use it as "proof" that he was caught making out with an eigth-grade girl, thereby making himself look cool to his classmates as well as the girl he has a crush on.
• Precision S Strike: Delivered by Tristan, whose day job is renowned for Getting Crap Past the Radar.
• Refuge in Audacity: Elizabeth lives this.
• The Rival: Squirrel.
• Save Our Students: The videos Elizabeth shows the class (e.g. Dangerous Minds), have this theme, at least at the beginning.
• Slipping a Mickey: Elizabeth, of course.
  • Played for laughs as it doesn't kick in quite as quickly as she'd like it to.
• Smug Snake: Elizabeth. Also, Amy in some scenes.
• Stalker with a Crush: Garrett, the Dogged Nice Guy who has unrequited feelings for a classmate.
• Staring Kid: The little kid with his jaw hanging open, who appears in two scenes.
• Stepford Smiler: Amy Squirrel.
• Stupid Statement Dance Mix: More like a word.
• The Complainer Is Always Wrong: Amy's numerous, valid complaints about Elizabeth are routinely dismissed.
• Ultimate Job Security: partly because she's hot partially because she's The Determinator.
• Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: Elizabeth, verging on being an outright...
• Villain Protagonist: Elizabeth
• Who Wears Short Shorts? Elizabeth, duh. She wears Daisy Dukes for the car-wash fundraiser.