302. Bad Teacher

Once again, I want to say a hearty congratulation to a trailer-maker.

I, and I suspect many others in the 2 for 1 Wednesday audience at Nottingham Cineworld, would have been expected a right old giggle having seen the three minute come-on for Bad Teacher.

It made the film seem so edgy and, dare I say a bit racy.

Let's be honest, Cameron Diaz normally looks mighty fine normally but even her rating goes up a notch or two in that car wash scene which has been on our screens for the last few weeks.

But as much as the trailer did put bums on seats, it has led to a giant diappointment.

Because once you've seen it, you've pretty much seen all of the best bits of Jake Kasdan's film.

For the few that don't know, Diaz plays a teacher who is the epitome of laziness.

Her stock in trade is to play movies to her students while nursing a drugs or drink hangover.

Meanwhile, fresh out of one failed relationship to a rich kid, she tries to snaffle supply teacher Justin Timberlake, the heir to a watch-maker's fortune.

Her problem is that geek-boy Timberlake is dewy-eyed for her nemesis, a goody-two-shoes, played by Lucy Punch.

Punch is actually the saving grace of the whole movie.

She is like a manic female Ned Flanders, while Diaz is a sort of unfunny female Homer Simpson.

Diaz ought to watch out. Her movie choices are erratic to say the least and while she has been good in the likes of The Box, there has also been The Green Hornet and now this.

Here, her character is so charmless and obnoxious that she left me with a constant feeling that I wanted to dunk her in a pile of horse manure.

But if she is poor, Justin Timberlake is worse.

I cannot imagine anyone more miscast. 

Even I recognise that Timberlake is cool in real life and can sing and dance.

Why would anyone cast him as a geek who looks as comfortable on a dance floor as Ken Barlow from Coronation Street?

Jason Segel, meanwhile, virtually sleeps through his part. Well, trying to persuade Cameron Diaz for a date for 90 minutes wouldn't require much acting would it?

And to top all of this, the gaggles of women in the audience were driving me nuts with their squealing and constant chatter.

Suffice to say, it wasn't my favourite visit to the cinema this year.

Rating? 4.5/10