Bad Teacher

Bad Teacher

Year: 2011

Director: Jake Kasdan

Cast: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch

In My Own Words

                Hooray! Cameron Diaz is back to what she does so well, the comedies! I love Diaz when she is in comedies and light hearted movies and then I see her in the dramatic roles and I think she is bland. Actually that is a little harsh, let’s just say I find her more endearing and likable in the roles which she is most remembered for, such as The Mask, There’s Something About Mary, Charlie’s Angels and The Sweetest Thing. Even in Bad Teacher where her character is so unethically inclined and is the type of person I would hate in real life, she is still likable. It’s a good problem to have, being likable in every role you do your niche. I think I also have a soft spot for Diaz as she is from Long Beach in California, which is where I used to live for a time!

                An experience in the cinema today got me thinking. I had a middle aged couple sitting behind me when the film started. They seemed really “happy-go-lucky” laughing with each other before the movie began. Then 10 minutes into the film, I had to turn around and politely tell them to please stop talking. Judging by their body language then, they did not look like they were enjoying the movie at all. Sometime in the next five minutes, they left the film.

                Personally I have never walked out of a film. I can’t comprehend spending money on a film and then not seeing the whole thing. Even if I am not enjoying it, I give the film the benefit of the doubt and stay just in case it does get better. I can understand some people can get really offended by a film and feel they have to leave for personal reasons. If people are offended by the language or the violent content of a film, that does make me confused. The censorship ratings are there for a reason. People should really take notice of them. Bad Teacher is rated M 15+ for sexual references, sex scenes, drug use and coarse language. This doesn’t mean they may be there, they are there. If these things offend you, then maybe you shouldn’t see the film.

                These are my own words and here is my review.

Review

                2011 is the year of girls behaving badly in film. Bad Teacher continues on this trend, yet brings something different to the table. It is truly a one woman show led by Cameron Diaz and is very funny. However, it is one of those comedies which relies more on the jokes than on the storyline and the story dissolves into the jokes.

                Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) doesn’t like being a teacher, and she likes it even less when she has to come back from retirement after she is dumped by her fiancé. She decides that in order to be happy she needs to get breast implants, but she needs to raise at least $9000. When she meets new teacher, Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake), her ambition grows to impress this awkward but attractive colleague. She has to compete with another teacher, Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch) to get the man and in all her spite and competitiveness, Elizabeth ends up doing some things right.

                The huge problem with this film is that the story and the script do not blend with the comedy to make a successful film. There are many jokes which are irrelevant to what is going on and there are actually a lot of questions left unanswered. It is as though director Jake Kasdan is more concerned with getting the audience to laugh rather than provide them with a journey. Granted, there are some very funny moments. Some comedy moments may feel a bit over the top and just plain ridiculous to some people. There are some crude moments, but for a comedy about a woman obsessed with getting herself breast implants, what would you expect? However, it could have been a lot worse than what it was considering the subject matter.

The script doesn’t address anything which happens before or after the film such as where the characters are from and why they are the way they are. In other words, the character development is just weak and almost non-existent. For example, Elizabeth clearly has no family in the film, but what happened to them? Where are they? Why is Elizabeth the way she is? Did something happen to her or was she bought up that way? Anybody watching this does not feel as though they really know Elizabeth even after watching her for an hour and a half.

Cameron Diaz does do a very good job at playing the bad girl heroine. She is very funny and manages to still be likable while playing someone who is not supposed to be so. Diaz has the “I don’t give a hoot what you are talking about” look down to a tee. Her character of Elizabeth is actually quite unsettling at times and is believable how scheming she is. Diaz was perfectly cast in this film and it is refreshing to see her play a character which is a twist on her stereotypical good girl roles in her comedy films.

Jason Segel is great as gym teacher Russell Gettis with his sarcastic and random comedy moments. Justin Timberlake is good enough, but the nerdiness of the character could have been pushed further. He still seems too cool to be a dork. His song, “Simpatico” is a real treat in the film. Lucy Punch achieves what she sets out to achieve with her character by being irritating and increasing the attractiveness of Diaz’s character. However, her character does provide another unanswered questioned for the film. What was it that she did in 2008 which everybody keeps talking about throughout the film?     

Bad Teacher isn’t one of the best written films you will see as far as the story goes, yet it does give some laughs and some great one-liners. Diaz is the shining star and it is impossible to believe that this film would have been anything at all without her.

5.5/10

Despicable Me

Despicable Me
Year: 2010
Director: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Cast: Steve Carrell, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Julie Andrews, Jason Segel

In My Own Words
After the hard week I had had, this movie was exactly the medicine I needed. There is something completely uplifting about animation. I know that not all animation is uplifting, but the animation aimed at the younger audience which is also made so that older audiences can enjoy it. Rest assure, if I have had a hard day at work, you will normally find me at home afterwards watching a movie like “Lilo and Stitch” or “The Princess And The Frog”. Movies like this will also bring a smile to my face. When you are suffering from the stress of the grown up world, what’s better to escape than being entertained by the purity in G rated animation films?

The great thing about “Despicable Me” is that before you see the film, you can look at the poster and you have no idea what the movie is about. The promo’s give away nothing about the film which is a great marketing technique. It increases the public’s curiosity of the movie and therefore increases the audience! The most curious part for me before I saw the film was that this film was super successful....and it was an animation purely about a villain! Animation is known for bringing us cute and cuddly characters who overcome the ugly villains, not being purely about an ugly villain! How could something so unattractive be the star of a hit movie? The same thing was thought about “Up” when it was released last year, how could an animated film about an old man and an overweight kid look attractive on the big screen? “Up” was a huge success, and so is “Despicable Me”. There is a lot more cuteness in this film than would be expected. One of the best parts about seeing this film, was when my partner was the only one left laughing in the cinema after everyone had finished laughing at a particular part, because he just couldn’t stop. Priceless.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
There is nothing despicable about “Despicable Me”. It is one of the funniest animated films to be released in years. Not only is it very funny, but it also extremely clever, original and well written. There are not many film makers who have been brave enough to make an animated film where the lead character is a villain, and an ugly villain at that. However, directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud have done a fine job at turning an ugly character that would usually be disliked into a star. Once best villain in the world, Gru (Steve Carrell) knows he is losing his touch after a new villain, Vector (Jason Segel) steals the Egyptian pyramids. Challenged, Gru decides that he is going to aim higher and steal the moon. Of course, a villain must overcome several obstacles in order to get what he really wants. And as one may expect, he is in danger of becoming a good guy in the process.

Apart from being just a tad predictable, “Despicable Me” is very well written. The jokes are very clever, but just simple and easy at the same time. The story is also very creative and played out in an interesting way. There is never a dull moment throughout the film and this is one of the few animated films which has been released in 3D and it has been able to enhance the entertainment value. It is definitely worth seeing “Despicable Me” in 3D as the film makers give the audience plenty of surprises and it just adds to the fun of the film. The graphics are fantastic. It is not an overly emotional film, but there are some moments in which will pull at your emotional strings. Even though there are not any cute and cuddly fuzzy creatures such as talking dogs or cats, there are some hilarious characters such a Gru’s yellow minion friends which are definitely worth talking about after the film.

It is often hard to critique an actor for a voice part, but credit must definitely be given to the players in this film. Steve Carrell, Russell Brand and Kristen Wiig are excellent in their parts. The best part about these actors taking part in “Despicable Me” is that they are not merely just lending their voice, but they are making the characters real. If one did not know which actor was which character, they would have a very hard time figuring out who was who, or they wouldn’t even be able to guess that that actor even had a part in the film. Even Jack McGrayer of “30 Rock” fame has a small part in the film, but it is incredibly hard to pick who he is.

“Despicable Me” is the must see animation of the year. It brings a smile to your face and it is incredibly hard not to find this film funny. Great talent went into making every part of this film and it is an absolute winner.
9/10