Horrible Bosses seems to be the perfect movie to laugh at or with, especially when the premise is about the common employee getting back at their terrible employer. And who hasn’t wanted to teach their a boss a lesson a time or two? Director Seth Gordon (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters) puts this movie on the shoulders of the actors and their chemistry, and with a cast full of names like Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman and Colin Farrell, that’s not a bad idea. But the story isn’t great and the pacing is a little uneven. However, it really is the performances that bring this raunchy comedy up to a level of satisfaction. Horrible Bosses isn’t flat-out hilarious, but you will laugh throughout and be surprised how outrageous Spacey, Farrell, and Aniston allow themselves to get.
What starts out as a joke soon turns in to reality once Nick (Bateman), Dale (Day), and Kurt (Sudeikis) conspire and come up with a plan (with help from a shady ex-con played by Jamie Foxx) to murder their bosses, but make it look like an accident. With their bosses gone, their lives would be easier and their jobs would be a lot more tolerable. But, of course, once they begin to put their plan in to action, it almost immediately starts to unravel until things get out of control completely. It becomes clear almost from the very beginning that these guys aren’t capable of murder, but can sure cause some mayhem and they do just that.
Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day all show off their comedic qualities, and we know all three of these guys are funny. And each of their characters have their own issues with their bosses. Bateman has been kissing his boss’s ass for 7 years for a promotion that his boss ends up giving to himself. Day is getting married, but gets sexually harassed and blackmailed every day at work by his boss. Sudeikis is the only who had it made until his boss dies and his son becomes the man in charge. And the title suggests these bosses are horrible, but they are worse than that.
It feels like everyone involved in Horrible Bosses is having fun, but it is clear that Spacey, Aniston, and Farrell are having the most. They let themselves get so crazy and almost become too ridiculous. Spacey plays one of the most greedy, selfish assholes to perhaps ever appear on-screen, and he is fantastic. Farrell is almost unrecognizable and his character is racist against everyone and only loves women and drugs. And then “America’s Sweetheart” Aniston transforms in to a crude, sexual, and vulgar woman who says things you could never imagine coming out of her mouth. They are a blast to watch and must have a great sense of humor to play these type of people.
Gordon knows what works and what won’t, and he knows his actors can make up for the lack of material. It is not as dark as you might think or hope, but there is plenty of raunchy language and gags to satisfy all. There may not be a lot of huge laughs, but you will definitely find yourself chuckling or at least smiling throughout. Horrible Bosses isn’t the funniest movie of the year, but the performances are strong enough to make this movie more enjoyable than disappointing.
“Nature Boy” Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter@SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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