Inside TV and Pop Culture with Liane Bonin Starr

Is 'Bad Teacher' bad for women?

The answer isn't as simple as it seems

By Liane Bonin Starr Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011 6:18 PM

Cameron Diaz and Phyllis Smith in "Bad Teacher"

Credit: Sony Pictures

In “Bad Teacher,” Cameron Diaz plays a pot-smoking, booze-guzzling, man-eating borderline sociopath. She breaks laws, hurls dodgeballs at 7^th graders’ crotches and is generally mean to anyone who can’t do something for her. Clearly, Diaz isn’t taking a big step forward for womankind here, is she?

I wouldn’t go that far, no. I haven’t lost my friggin’ mind. But if we’re looking at “Bad Teacher” from the lowered expectations we have for most entertainment these days, there might be a silver lining in there somewhere once we sift out the adolescent humor, sex shtick and Justin Timberlake. Except for the annoying female-centric cliché of being a golddigger, Elizabeth (Diaz’s character) could easily be played by a guy. The current trend seems to be (if the superior “Bridesmaids” is also an indicator) to show that the girls can be just as gross, crass and poorly behaved as the fellas. Yes, we too can crap in bathroom sinks and get baked in our cars if we are so inclined. Yay.

Is that a huge step forward? Okay, a little step forward? Maybe a shimmy to the side? While Diaz’s “Bad Teacher” character never really evolves beyond thuggishness (take her out-of-nowhere evolution in the third act as you will), she’s just as one note as all the vacant girlfriend characters, hot-to-trot sidekicks and goody-to-shoe love interests we usually see in Hollywood. And, while the guys certainly have it better, let’s not forget how many of them we see, overly pumped and ridiculously suited up, as cartoon character heroes. Nuance and depth are in short supply for everyone, male and female, in Hollywood. Ironically, we saw both in “Bridesmaids,” that other gross-out girl flick.

So, are girls who can be just as nasty as the boys a trend we should get behind? To the extent that money talks in Hollywood, maybe. Since “Bridesmaids” scored a better-than-expected opening weekend (coming in at number two behind the quickly forgotten “Thor”) and has grossed over $100 million in the U.S., executives are likely to be looking to “Bad Teacher” to see if audiences have an appetite for funny ladies who aren’t too ladylike. And if they do? While that will likely open the door to plenty of bad movies with “bad” female protagonists, the point is it will open the door to more roles for women showing a side that hasn’t become cliché. Granted, it’s the gross side, but so be it. I’ll just be happy to see something other than simpering goody-goody or the Spandex-clad sex kitten. And if she happens to be crapping into a sink, so be it.

Liane Bonin Starr
Sr. Editor

Liane Bonin Starr is an author, screenwriter and former writer for EW.com. Her byline has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Variety and a lot of other places. Her last book was called "a scandalously catty, guilty pleasure" by Jane magazine. Expect the same from Starr Raving.

Related Searches: Bad Teacher, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake

Ben

This essay basically didn't say anything until the last sentence. It was all over the place before that, seemingly changing its mind every sentence.
June 22, 2011 at 8:02PM EST Reply to Comment
Max

Maybe I would take an article on whether or not Diaz's performance hurts the portrayal of women as little more than stereotypes if your bio didn't list you as an "unrepentant shoe collector," which feeds into more stereotypes than Diaz's performance ever could.
June 22, 2011 at 8:10PM EST Reply to Comment
- Max There should've been an "a little more seriously" in there somewhere.
  June 22, 2011 at 8:11PM EST
- Collecting shoes does not make me a junior member of "Sex and the City," by the way. I've taken classes in making shoes, know far more about the architecture of building them than most people (did you know a lot of shoe designers come from the car design industry? Bet not) and don't own a single pair of Jimmy Choos or Manolos. That's your stereotype, not mine.
  June 29, 2011 at 12:35PM EST
Stan

Bad Teacher is bad for women in that it gives them the false impression that someone like Cameron Diaz is smart, funny, and attractive.
June 23, 2011 at 11:36AM EST Reply to Comment
John

Yea, I write reviews and opinions on movies at my site Movie Tripp, but just the title alone should make you re-asses if you can hold your opinion away from art. Obviously you have a view of "life imitates art" and I have the opposite view. Just because someone portrayed the character doesnt mean thats what women are going to want to be. I know you can never be sure how far someone will take movies and music to heart, but as someone whose reviews and opinions I respect and have been viewing for the past few months, that title of this article gives you a bit of a mark among your peers. Sorry if it came off rude. It was meant more for constructive criticism. Nothing more. Feel free to message me back at my site(Twitter: @MovieTripp) if you would like me to hear your side of this as well.
June 24, 2011 at 1:21PM EST Reply to Comment

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Is 'Bad Teacher' bad for women?

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Is 'Bad Teacher' bad for women?

Comments

Ben

This essay basically didn't say anything until the last sentence. It was all over the place before that, seemingly changing its mind every sentence.

Max

Maybe I would take an article on whether or not Diaz's performance hurts the portrayal of women as little more than stereotypes if your bio didn't list you as an "unrepentant shoe collector," which feeds into more stereotypes than Diaz's performance ever could.

Max There should've been an "a little more seriously" in there somewhere.