Rated R for some drug use, nudity, sexual content and language
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch, John Michael Higgins
Director: Jake Kasdan
Or consider how she handles a boy student with a hopeless crush on an unattainable girl. The teacher tries reasoning with him... "Look, you will never get that girl, okay? Why? Because I was once one of those girls and I would never have gone out with someone like you. I mean, anyone who wears the same stinky sweatshirt three days in a row isn't getting laid until age twenty-nine." The boy counters... "But this shirt belonged to my daddy. It's the only thing he left behind when he walked out on me and my mom. It's all I remember him by." "There's a reason he didn't pack it," the teacher replies, not missing a beat.
This educational angel is Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz), and she became a teacher for what she thought were all the right reasons... shorter hours, summers off. She is employed at John Adams Middle School, where the ebullient principal (John Michael Higgins) refers to his instructors as part of his "JAMS" family, as though referencing a radio station. Elizabeth's main goal in life is to realize her dreams of being a successful gold digging wife. Actually, there's an addendum to that goal; she needs to get a new pair of boobs. That should help land a man of means. As the story opens, she finishes the last day of school (and what she believes will be the final day of her teaching career), arrives at the doorstep of her fiance only to discover his mother has influenced him to dump her. It's back to another year of imposed shaping of young minds.
Her basic approach to the profession involves showing her students a wave of education-themed movies ("Stand and Deliver," "Lean on Me," "Dangerous Minds") while she gets high behind her desk. She has managed to alienate most of her fellow educators though does maintain two friends. One is the school's gym teacher (Jason Segel) who repeatedly asks Elizabeth out, but is far short of cash to make an impression. The other is Lynn (Phyllis Smith from "The Office,") a diffident woman-child who talks like Rocky the Squirrel on Quaaludes. And speaking of squirrels, the school has its own; a high-strung ball of scholastic energy named Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch) who dives into the teaching experience head-first, and becomes Elizabeth's rival for the affection of the new substitute, Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake), the heir to a watchmaking empire who has taken the job out of love for the profession.
The film was directed by Jake Kasdan, son of the highly-regarded Lawrence Kasdan ("Grand Canyon.") Jake's work hasn't been as substantial as his father's, prompting some Hollywood insiders to cry nepotism. But the younger Kasdan has demonstrated skill behind the camera, and understands that humor comes from character. He shows a lot of confidence is the so-politically-incorrect eccentricities of his main players, embodied by skilled actors...
Cameron Diaz showed right out of the starting gate with "The Mask" that she's a uniquely gifted comic actor. She's so engaging being clueless to her environment that we never want her to evolve. Lucy Punch is the surprise here; she matches Diaz step-for-step as a mercurial goody-goody who can turn vicious if someone doesn't take the teaching profession as seriously as she does. Justin Timberlake has a funny turn as a doe-eyed lemming with a chameleon-like timidity, ready to side with whatever opinion is presented to him. Jason Segel is the coolest of the bunch, perfectly willing to school these pint-sized sports know-it-alls that LeBron James will never be Michael Jordan, regardless of where he takes his talents.
Yes, the movie is rude, crude, and offers no apology. But it's a better film than "The Hangover: Part II" because here, the GOAL isn't to be rude and crude. Instead, it holds an oddly sweet affection for its main character. The caveat being that the character is politically, socially, psychologically, and philosophically incorrect. The easily offended might want to play hooky.
* * * out of * * * * stars
