Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • July 13, 2011 New film’s awful teacher is bored of education hopes is her last) year of teaching at John Adams Middle School. She is engaged to a rich man, and anticipates a married life of luxury. When her fiancé dumps her, she returns to the classroom in the fall. Hardly the dedicated, hardworking educator, Elizabeth goes through the motions, doing as little as possible. Her new goal is saving enough money for breast augmentation surgery. This will be her bait for wealthy guys, she hopes. The film focuses on the ways and means Elizabeth employs – most of which are unethical -- to raise the cash for her operation. When she discovers that a new substitute teacher, Mr. Delacorte (Justin Timberlake), is from a monied family, she sets her sights on him, but finds she has some competition in the person of fellow teacher Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch). Amy is the poster girl for Perfect Teacher. She decorates her classroom zealously, uses clever motiva- Cameron Diaz, Jason Segal, and Justin Timberlake in ‘Bad Teacher.’ by Dennis Seuling Hollywood has often elicited laughs from broad characterizations of teachers who would never last two days in public education. “Bad Teacher” is just such a movie. Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) has just completed her first (and what she tional techniques, and meticulously follows bureaucratic rules and regulations. She is the complete opposite of Elizabeth. Most of the laughs in this R-rated comedy come from Elizabeth’s outrageous, politically incorrect classroom methodology. She curses, smokes, comes to class hung over, dresses far too provocatively, and has no inkling of the names of the children in her class. Because the comedy is so broad and over the top, it can be enjoyed as a spoof. It is by no means an accurate portrayal of middle school teaching, nor does it intend to be. Diaz is captivating in an unsympathetic role. Her sense of superiority, her open disdain for students and colleagues, and her lack of effort make her not merely a flake but a selfish, thoughtless bully. Yet viewers watch her make her way awkwardly through the day-to-day tasks of educating (continued on Crossword page)