The new sub teacher Scott. Amy crushes on him, he's a (terrible) musician (only when he tries to write original songs), wears glasses, likes books, and he's sensitive. Plus, he's rich.
Amy. She's cheerful and decidedly dorky, and though weird, she's quite attractive. Scott genuinely likes her.
Garrett, who is painfully socially awkward until Elizabeth helps him out near the end.
Is Amy a genuinely nice person who is driven to madness by Elizabeth's cruel and petty actions, or is she an unstable, immature, and socially awkward woman?
Is Elizabeth just a mean-spirited Jerkass who takes joy in the suffering of others? Or does she suffer from some severe self-loathing and self-esteem issues herself? She has quite a few self destructive tendencies, like drug addiction and laziness, and when telling off Garrett for trying to pursue an Alpha Bitch, she has a moment of self-awareness about how she behaves the same way. Not to mention she allows her students to hit her with dodgeballs, implying that she aware that she is a terrible person.
Ensemble Dark Horse: Russel, the male gym teacher, for being the most likable character in the movie.
The movie's central premise is a woman who can't quit her job because it's her sole source of income. She decides she needs breast enhancement surgery to impress a man and finds out that the teacher whose class has the highest test scores on a state test will get a large bonus. Her attempts to get the bonus involve Gray-and-Grey Morality. Two weeks after the movie premiered, a major test-fixing scandal erupted in the Atlanta public school system, implicating 178 educators, among them 38 principals, and forced the superintendent to resign. A smaller, but similar, situation could have easily happened in the film's universe if Elizabeth's shenanigans backfired.
During the teacher dance scene, Scott and Elizabeth sing to "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone, and Scott says that they don't make songs like this anymore, with Russell stating that he's working on a song with a similar phone number title. In 2017, Logic releases "1-800-273-8255", and it's taken in a devastating direction.
Elizabeth better hope Garett never tells anyone that she gave him her bra, because that would likely get her into serious trouble these days, and even then!
Heartwarming Moments: Elizabeth giving Garrett her bra and "angrily" declaring that she caught him making out with a high school girl, thus elevating him from outcast to legend in two seconds.
Elizabeth wears an "Annie" wig to disguise herself when she seduces the testing official. Three years later, Cameron Diaz would be cast as Ms. Hannigan in the Annie (2014) remake.
Elizabeth would no longer need to discreetly smoke marijuana, considering the state of Illinois has legalized recreational marijuana in 2020.
Elizabeth is addicted to OxyContin pills. Kaitlyn Dever, who plays one of her students, would later star in Dopesick, a series about the opioid crisis. It's as though it's grossly Misplaced Retribution for what happened to Amy.
Memetic Mutation: "IT'S THE ONLY ARGUMENT I NEED, SEAN!" That quote has become a default when arguing with someone on a message board shockingly fast, as well as a hilarious catchphrase due to the 2011 NBA Finals (both involving LeBron James).
This becomes Hilarious in Hindsight after the 2012 finals, in which James finally won his first title, along with the Finals MVP award. He still doesn't have six, though.
Rooting for the Empire: Elizabeth is a spectacularly unpleasant person, but there are a few moments you can root for her, like when she tells Garrett the cold, hard, but honest, about why the popular girl will never go out with him. If you find Amy to be an obnoxious person, you might end up rooting for Elizabeth.
Strawman Has a Point: Amy Squirrel is an irritating, meddling goody-two shoes busybody who is completely right in every suspicion that she has about Elizabeth. She doesn't even do anything but be nice and friendly until after she first catches Elizabeth in an illegal act. And she certainly doesn't deserve to lose her boyfriend thanks to Elizabeth's lies and scheming, nor bear the punishment and blame for Elizabeth's crimes.
Unintentionally Sympathetic: Amy Squirrel, while a nagging busybody, is a good teacher who cares about her students and genuinely likes her boyfriend for reasons other than his money. Elizabeth rudely and nastily rebuffs her sincere attempts at befriending her, then takes absolutely everything from her and ruins her life, and we are expected to see this as a good (or, at least, a funny) thing.
The Woobie: Garrett. Amy as well, who as stated above, does nothing to warrant the horrible things that happen to her.
