Cameron Diaz is a Bad Teacher. Elizabeth Halsey’s goal in life is to take care of number 1 — not her number 1 student. The unwinning, wily and highly inappropriate junior high puts the model in role model in this colourful comedy from Orange County director Jake Kasdan. After being dumped by her rich fiancé, she launches a scheme to win over handsome, spiritual substitute teacher Scott Delacourte (as in the fictional watchmaker, Justin Timberlake) – oh, and to save up for a new pair of tits to improve her chances. Shooting for the best teacher bonus, she has competition in the classroom and the dating game from the dedicated but ruthlessly competitive Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch).

Outlandishly unrealistic characters clash in an ambitious war of wills, with hilarious set pieces from sexy spy subterfuge to field trip dry humps. To our relief, Elizabeth never stops being bad, leaving plenty of room for unfailing opportunism in story and in grabbing laughs. An A for effort.

Bad Teacher (certificate 15) is released on BluRay and DVD on Monday 31 October. Buy it here.


Read More: The Help Review; Footloose Review.

Apart from seeming like one of the friendliest people to walk the earth, documentarian Morgan Spurlock – the man with the 30 Day fixation – is fond of teaching us what we already know.

Following up his feature-length experiment with a certain fast food chain in Super-Size Me, Spurlock has turned to the power of product placement – or,  as it’s now more sterilely known, “co-promotion”. As 4 companies spent 75% of last year’s total advertising (totalling $412 billion dollars), the commercial trend towards co-promotion is an idea worth investigating. Using a meta approach, the film is entirely funded by product placement. Taking place in meeting rooms across America, Spurlock’s pitches explain the film’s concept as he traverses the landmine site of brand personalities and tricky contracts.

While there are tidbits of interesting theories of advertising from the likes of Ralph Nader and of artistic integrity from various blockbuster directors, it comes as no surprise when Spurlock’s seemingly forward-thinking brands of choice revert with immediacy to stock marketing techniques and safe-bet advertising.  A visit to Sao Paulo also serves the story well, throwing into sharp relief the sheer pervasive presence of advertising in our daily lives.

Though there’s not much to be learned, Spurlock’s dependably sharp ideas and jocularity shine through. Though he glosses over moments of frustration and confusion, his simple presentation provide facts to chew on, sending you back into the world feeling a little more aware of what’s around you. Throwaway but enjoyable, it’s documentary lite.

Read more: The Help Review; Footloose Review.