|
|
|---|
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.
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.