EXCLUSIVE: Jake Kasdan Talks Bad Teacher Blu-ray

Oct 19, 2011 by B. Alan Orange

Bad Teacher Blu-ray + DVD combo pack, Blu-ray, and DVD are available in stores now. Jake Kasdan directs this hilarious hit comedy starring Cameron Diaz as Elizabeth, a drunk and disorderly educator hoping to land the sugar daddy of her dreams.

We recently caught up with Jake Kasdan to chat about this release, wet spots, and his hit series New Girl. Check out our conversation below.

Out of all the teacher movies made in the past couple of decades, Bad Teacher reminds me most of 1984's Teachers, with Nick Nolte. Why was that left off Elizabeth's personal collection of Educator-based VHS tapes that she uses for her curriculum?

Jake Kasdan: Part of it was...We wanted to look at the most ridiculous things she could be showing in class. Which is a slightly different criteria. We wanted movies that depicted "good teaching".

Its probably for the best. I think Teachers has been out of print forever...

Jake Kasdan: Oh, is it not even available?

Last time I checked, it hadn't been released on DVD. It's theme and tone reminds me of Bad Teacher. Of course, I'm solely going off my childhood memories of it.

Jake Kasdan: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...

What was your intentions with Elizabeth's overall arc in this story? A lot of people complained about the fact that she gets away with her bad behavior, and that she never has to account for cheating the system, or her students by the end of the film. I thought the resolution was, maybe, more realistic than most comedies would dare to be.

Jake Kasdan: When you make a movie like this, to stay true to it, you cannot have her transform into someone else all of a sudden. In a way, you don't want to see that. The idea was that she has the smallest modicum of growth by the end of the movie. The smallest amount of self-awareness, which sets a new direction for her.

We never do learn what Ms. Squirrel was up to in 2008. Did you have an idea about what she did? Does it justify Elizabeth's cruel intentions towards her?

Jake Kasdan: We talked about a lot of different ideas for that. We thought it was funnier to leave that unknown.

Personally, I don't see Elizabeth staying with the Gym teacher. The next rich guy that comes along will obviously catch her eye. She hasn't changed that much, but that obviously opens up this story for the further adventures of Elizabeth. Has that been discussed?

Jake Kasdan: (Laughs) Yeah. You know, people have talked (about a sequel). If we had the perfect story for it? Possibly. It was a total pleasure to make this movie. It would be fun to work with these people again. But, to be honest, I don't really see it happening.

You've made three great comedies with Zero Effect, Dewey Cox, and Bad Teacher. But they all land in different genres of comedy. Has it been your goal to sort of plunder the various different sub-genres found within the comedy genre in furthering your career as a director?

Jake Kasdan: It's about what makes you laugh, and what you are drawn to. I want to do all different kinds of things. I'm reluctant to make the same movie repeatedly. I want to try new things, and try different modes. But I am drawn to comedy. Most of them have been somewhat unconventional, in some way or another.

Bad Teacher is very unconventional, especially in that, for a long time, the audience isn't sure if they like Elizabeth or not. How did you and Cameron Diaz collaborate in bringing this particular performance to the screen, because this isn't a character we've seen before. Not as a lead, anyway...

Jake Kasdan: Basically, we thought this was a really funny person, a really funny dilemma, and it was something we'd never seen before. She is someone, on some level, that you want to hang out with. I think having Cameron Diaz play her enhances that. She brings this incredible charisma and draw to everything she does. She is a hugely appealing person. The funny thing about this is watching her play someone that is not likeable. That is so far from what she is actually like, and her actual persona. Yet, the joke was so closed to her heart, It was irresistible to me. And her, luckily. We were focused on finding a reality level that would allow you to follow her, enjoy her, and then root for her a little bit. Even if she is doing all of this crazy stuff.

Justin Timberlake's character is likeable. Until the dry hump scene. After that, I kind of hated him. That curveball helps us, as an audience, gravitate back towards Cameron's Elizabeth...That is a rough scene...

Jake Kasdan: (Laughs) Yeah. That's right. That is a scene you haven't seen before. I felt that way when I read it. She has this moment of self-realization in the midst of this bad sexual experience. The selfish guy. I thought it was a funny idea, and a funny way of doing that. And of course, Justin Timberlake is just so funny playing it.

Back in the early 2000s, I was doing some work with the organization that handles test screenings. And in the original Scary Movie, there is a 'wet spot on the jeans' joke with David Lander, which got cut out of the movie and never made it to the deleted scenes on the DVD. We saw a similar scenario with the movie Out Cold. And Bubble Boy. Back in the early 2000s, the wet spot joke was too controversial for mainstream audiences, even after the hair gel scene in There's Something about Mary. Now, we've seen it in She's Out of My League, then Bad Teacher. Why are audiences okay with the wet spot joke now? What is your take on the evolution of that?

Jake Kasdan: (Laughs) I don't know. The evolution of the wet spot joke! I think it depends on the context. And the context that we were using it? I think that is a really funny sequence. Up until that point, and then after, the function that it plays into the story is an important moment for Elizabeth. And like I said, it's a very funny scene. This is the point where Elizabeth realizes that this is not the relationship she wants it to be in. She finds herself slightly questioning her agenda. Hopefully, it sets the story up in a way that it doesn't just feel like a gratuitous, gross joke. It's more like a bonus gross joke.

It did a lot for that character. It gave him a 360 twist that made me hate him. He's a jerk. You don't like him.

Jake Kasdan: You don't like him because of how he is treating her. And Justin is just so good at doing that scene, his whole approach to it...

That scene also makes you feel bad for Ms. Squirrel. It seems as though he is in love with her. But he cheats on her in this really gross, weird way, that he must have justified to himself. That aspect is shocking as well...I have the DVD with the unrated version. It's five minutes longer than the theatrical cut. Did you have a hand in putting that together? And of the two, which version do you prefer?

Jake Kasdan: I did put this together. I don't like it more than the other. In either case, they both work. They were separately prepared by me for their respective purposes. I think it's a cool thing. It lets you put a few extra things in there that you felt inhibited the audience's initial experience with the movie in a theater. For fans, there are great little extra moments. Its subtle stuff, but its real stuff. There are a few additional jokes, a few additional scenes. There are some slightly harder moments. It's the accumulation of hard moments. When I say hard, I mean very edgy jokes. We had certain ones in the theatrical cut that served as tent poles. That is what you are building the thing on, and you don't want to repulse people. But for people that know the character, and like the movie, its fun to have some more of that.

I find that it's the cut I see first that I like the best. If that makes sense...

Jake Kasdan: That's interesting. Yeah. I think that sometimes, there are people that feel that way. Some people will only watch the extended version of it. I'll watch the extended cut if I had a positive feeling about the first one. With certain films, I don't usually go back to see the unrated version.

How involved were you with the special features that we see on the disc?

Jake Kasdan: Somewhat involved. I approve everything. I put together that gag reel thing that I think is pretty funny.

The supporting cast of Bad Teacher is so great. Even in the smallest roles...

Jake Kasdan: When you have a really funny piece of writing, when you are making one of these things, you find a bunch of little parts. You sit there and think, "If I could have anybody, who would it be?" Then you try to get them. That is what we did. A big part of this was me calling people up, and convincing them to do it. Because of that, we got this amazing group of people. It took them just a day or two to do it. We had Molly Shannon, and Eric Stonestreet. John Michael Higgins, and Thomas Lennon. A couple of my favorite guys. Two of the funnest guys in the world. John Michael Higgins is someone I worked with on Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. He was just amazing. We went through and fond the right people, and got them to come out.

The scene where Eric Stonestreet hits the car with his scooter is so well done. That's obviously a stunt guy, right?

Jake Kasdan: Uh...Yes. It was just one moment. On the scooter. The actual slamming into the thing? It was only a stunt guy for a second and a half. The majority of that is Eric Stonestreet. He was doing more than any of us were comfortable with. The actual, most dangerous moment, we were not going to risk it. We got a professional.

How happy have you been with the response New Girl is getting?

Jake Kasdan: Delighted. It has been this incredibly cool thing. We are deep in the mist of making it right now. It's been cool, we keep going and we try to make it good.

How worried were you guys about losing Damon Waynes Jr. after the first episode? He's so good in the pilot. I didn't want to like the new guy. It took me until the third episode to warm up to him. That's a pretty powerful thing to do with just a pilot. But I like him now. I think Lamorne Morris is a good fit.

Jake Kasdan: Yeah. We were really sad to lose Damon Wayans Jr., but we were also very relieved that Lamorne Morris was around, and that he was available. He had been someone that we'd seriously talked to about the part when we were doing the pilot. Then he got another job. We ended up finding Damon Wayans Jr.. That ended up working out great. Then, when Damon was no longer available, which was a surprise to us that it worked out that way, we were grateful to have someone so great that could step in. It was a story challenge in how to introduce a new character in just the second episode. Without complicating the premise. We did our best. So far, people seem to be sticking with it. Hopefully they will continue to watch.

Both you and Zooey have fathers that are quite well established in the movie business. Did you two know each other since you were kids?

Jake Kasdan: I've known her since she was a teenager. I am a little older than her. But I have known her for a long time, yeah. I'd always wanted to work with her. I'd tried to find stuff to work on with her before. This was the natural, perfect part for her. Elizabeth Meriwether called me up and asked if I'd direct the pilot. In that same couple of days, we thought the first thing we should do is get Zooey Deschanel to play this part. We were just excited that she wanted to.

Does that make it easier for you, when you already have that long standing relationship with someone, and you set out to take on a new project with them?

Jake Kasdan: Yeah. It is, a little. Its great to have a relationship like that. And to be able to turn it into something. Maybe, the fact that we did know each other, and we'd been trying to work together for along time...I like to think that helped bring her into this. Primarily, she fell in love with the role. I was there telling her that it would be everything she hoped it could be. And that I was going to do everything I could to do that with her.

I think, right now, Zooey might be the funniest girl on TV. She certainly is giving Kaitlin Olson a run for her money...

Jake Kasdan: That is nice to hear. She is amazing. We have some really fantastic episodes coming up that we are really excited about, and proud of. It's a unique thing. Here is an actress that really inspires the writers. She sets the tone for the whole thing, and she gets it all going.

Do you have a lot of story input as you guys build towards that season ending arc?

Jake Kasdan: You know, I am in the conversations with them. I am not writing the show. But I am around, helping them produce the first couple of episodes.

It almost seems as though Jess is going to hook up with the Nick Miller character. But you keep turning that convention on its head. Are you going to keep Zooey from hooking up with anyone in the house for a while?

Jake Kasdan: People are going to have to keep watching to find out what happens with those two. They have great chemistry, and we love writing for them. They are both seeing other people in the upcoming episodes.

Three's Company was on the air for almost ten years. Jack never got with any of the girls.

Jake Kasdan: (Laughs) Exactly. There is a long, great tradition of people not hooking up on television.

Bad Teacher Blu-ray + DVD combo pack, Bad Teacher Blu-ray, and Bad Teacher DVD are available October 18th.

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Q&A - Cameron Diaz Talks Timberlake, Tough Times for Hot Chicks, and Being the Bad Teacher

Sean is a senior critic for Filmcritic.com.

What with budget cuts, staff layoffs, and falling test scores, our nation's public-school system had enough problems before Cameron Diaz's Bad Teacher arrived on the scene. The jaded blonde vixen takes on an optimistic principal (John Michael Higgins), a horny gym teacher (Jason Segel), and an irrationally clean-cut middle-school instructor (Justin Timberlake) in the deranged black comedy from Walk Hard director Jake Kasdan. Before the school bell rang, Diaz spoke to FilmCritic.com about playing awful characters, finding sugar daddies, and the teacher who messed with her as a little kid.

Q: I can't think of the last time you've actually played such an unlikeable character. Is there a freedom that comes with playing someone this awful?

A: Totally. I mean, there's no reason to try and get anybody to like her. [Laughs] She doesn't even like herself. Clearly! Truthfully, she doesn't like anything, and that was very liberating. You don't have to put out any sunshine for it.

Q: But then your character is surrounded with impossibly optimistic characters as a way to balance the tone and find the humor of the situation.

A: Right; exactly. And that's the wonderful thing about the spirit of J.A.M.S., or John Adams Middle School, where I teach. That was their whole thing -- being as enthusiastic as possible -- and my character, Elizabeth, was just thinking, "Are you kidding me? This is hell for me. This is where I come to sleep. Everybody, be quiet! I am busy!" [Laughs]

Q: Almost everyone in the cast has a distinct memory of an experience with a teacher who made them feel uncomfortable and who has really stuck with them. Do you have such a memory?

A: I do. I had a teacher who wasn't very nice to me. She didn't like me, and she'd try to call me out in class for nothing, really. She'd also try to give me life lessons.

Q: Because they really stick at that age.

A: Right. I was just sort of, "Woman, what are you talking about?" But she was trying to do it more as a way of trying to embarrass me. Or maybe that's just what it felt like when I was that age. But I also grew up with parents who treated me like a person, like an actual human being instead of just a kid. So when I met this teacher, it actually was like, "Really? You are going to talk to me like that?"

Q: I also found it interesting that you played Elizabeth like the ultimate con artist, and the only time she woke from her uninterested haze was when she was able to work a con on some unsuspecting naïve teacher.

A: Oh, well, that was the best part about her because that was the only effort she ever makes. I look at Elizabeth as being in a time of economic crisis. She's looking for a man who can take care of her, and there aren't that many guys like that who exist anymore.

Q: Certainly not in the education field.

A: Well, definitely not in education. [Laughs] But it used to be easier for hot girls to find someone who would give you a credit card and a car and let you stay in their fancy house. It doesn't happen that often anymore. So she is really having to work. Times are tough. She still has to work at school. So when she suddenly sees an opportunity to mess with people in the place where she feels captive, she lights up, gets ready, and becomes the evil person she was meant to be.

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Bad Teacher

Bill Gibron is a veteran film critic from Tampa, Florida.Maybe a better title would be Socially Inappropriate Teacher. Or maybe Craven Educator with the Potential to Change. Sure, Cameron Diaz's dumped debutante Elizabeth Halsey wants nothing more than to marry a rich man and live spectacularly off his money. It's what every hot chick with a smokin' bod deserves, right? Of course, the story mandates that her nuptial ruse be uncovered, requiring her to return to the one place she hates more than anything else -- the classroom. Often too drunk and detached to teach and purposefully shunning her needy students, she lets in-class movies like Stand and Deliver and Lean on Me do the heavy educational lifting. How she ever became an instructor in the first place remains a solid mystery.

In order to save herself from this dire, dead-end life, she plots a means of making $10K to get a man-entrapping boob job while eyeing the supposedly wealthy do-gooder sub Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake). All that stands in her way is an overachieving perky pariah coworker named Amy Squirrell (Lucy Punch), a dolphin-obsessed dullard principal (John Michael Higgins), and a friendly PE coach (Jason Segel) who can't figure out why Elizabeth won't give him the time of day. Oh yeah, and a group of nameless kids with the standard, stereotypical middle school maladies.

Thus the rest of director Jake Kasdan's genial if spotty comedy is a series of set-ups, get-rich-quick plot devices interspersed with crude sexual references, and the occasional bow to the realities of teaching the pre-teen. The script, by Lee Eisenberg and Greg Stupnitsky, is more Year One than The Office (projects both men are responsible for), uneven in tone and not quite capable of maintaining a firm film point of view. This is a movie that wants to be rude, raunchy, and ridiculous, yet can only come up with F-bombs, genitalia jokes, and the occasional pot reference. We want to see Elizabeth rebel against all the faculty stiffs she's surrounded by, to take these bureaucratic backstabbers down a few dozen notches.

But Bad Teacher doesn't have the shameless cojones to go for it. Instead, it constantly pulls back. It's almost as if the filmmakers felt they would run into trouble with some whimpering watchdog group -- the MPAA, the PTA, any number of pro-PC irritants -- and prematurely hedged their bets. Sure, it's okay for Diaz (in a very good performance) to discuss oral sex and personal perversions, just as long as no children are actually insinuated or endangered. You can talk roughly to them, just don't infer anything beyond the bad words. For a movie that promises to corrupt anything that comes in its path, to take no prisoners and metaphysically urinate all over propriety, it's pretty sedate. There's no sense of anarchy, no manic desire to truly push the envelope of acceptability.

For the stars, however, it's smooth scatological sailing. Diaz is indeed in her element here, radiating a kind of radical antisocialism that should earn her a new league of loyal "students." For his part, former fling Timberlake plays against type and does so rather well. As the villainess, Punch is perfect. Her sunny/sinister edge adds greatly to her often aggravating dialogue, and Segel shines every time he's onscreen, often coming across as the real comedic voice of this effort. For his part, Kasdan doesn't get in anyone's way. He finds a means of stringing together the often incompatible vignettes in a way that has us rooting for Elizabeth's happiness and Amy's comeuppance.

While never quite as funny as it should be, and constantly missing obvious opportunities, Bad Teacher is still a jolly, joke-filled escape. Indeed, perhaps calling it Inconsistently Witty Professor would have been more suitable.

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