Bad Teacher - Blu-ray Review

3.8 Stars (out of 5)

Synopsis

Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) is ruthless, wildly inappropriate and says exactly what's on her mind.  She may be working as a teacher, but her real occupation is to find a rich man to support her and get her out of the middle school for good.  When she’s dumped by her fiancé, she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich, handsome substitute (Timberlake) – competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague, Amy (Punch), while disregarding the advances of the school's irreverent gym teacher (Segel).  Elizabeth’s schemes and their wild consequences prove that she truly doesn't give an "F." Buy Now $24.99

Starring:

Cameron Diaz, Lucy Punch, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Phyllis Smith, John Michael Higgins, Dave Allen, Jillian Armenante, Matthew J. Evans

Director:

Jake Kasdan

Blu-ray Release Date:

October 18, 2011

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:
Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 3.3 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison
●    Subwoofer - 2.0 Stars
●    Dialog - 4.5 Stars
●    Surround Effects - 2.5 Stars
●    Dynamic Range - 4.0 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

For audio performance in a comedy, this is standard fair. However, if you want to utilize your home theater, Bad Teacher is a bad choice.  The subwoofer can only be heard when music is played. This DTS-HD mix is front heavy, and the rear speakers are only used for light ambient noises. On the good side, dialog is clear so every mean and witty quip is heard without a hitch. The audio mix also does a decent job of panning action from left to right helping the movie sound bigger.

Video  4.7 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison
●    Color Accuracy  - 5.0 Stars
●    Shadow detail - 4.5 Stars
●    Clarity - 4.5 Stars
●    Skin tones - 5.0 Stars
●    Compression - 4.5 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

The video performance far outshines the audio. The colors are vibrant and lively while remaining natural and help feature the bad teacher's bright red lipstick. Loose hairs, Diaz's tiny wrinkles, textures on cheap sport coats, and Jason Segal's moles all look amazing with the crystal clarity this Blu-ray bestows. Dark scenes also look great without loosing much detail in the shadows and without showing many signs of compression problems.

Bonus Features 3.0 Stars (out of 5)

• Deleted Scenes
• Way Behind The Scenes with Jason and Justin featurette
• Raising More Than Funds featurette
• Gag Reel
• JAMS Yearbook-Hidden Moments Interactive yearbook featuring outtakes with the cast.
• A Very Odd Blacksmith Story
• Swimming With The Dolphins
• Good Teacher
• Outtakes
• movieIQ

Movie - 3.0 Stars (out of 5)

Review

Bad Teacher seams like a run of the mill raunchy comedy that follows a safe and well known path to the ending. However, this movie is a little different and dares to challenge the age old formula. This movie is comical, and Cameron Diaz surprised by playing the shallow, spiteful, and vulgar character without making me hate her in the process. Justin Timberlake's performance however, seamed forced and corny. It could be because he's considered one of the coolest people in Hollywood, and playing a nerd was hard for him to do. In my opinion Jason Segal stole the movie. Even though his character didn't get much screen time, his charm and warmth grounded the movie for me.
This movie is fun to watch, and has some funny moments. This is not a sappy movie focusing on being a good teacher. This teacher's main goal is to make enough money to afford breast implants so she can find a sugar daddy. Yes, it's a silly plot, but somehow it works in this movie.