Horrible Bosses Review

  Three buddies are played by Jason Bateman (a stuck-in-a-rut, boring, middle manager vying for a VP position), Charlie Day (a dental assistant whose only wish is not to be constantly berated by his man-eating boss) and Jason Sudeikis who loves his job until his boss keels over and his coke addict son usurps the throne. The dope fiend is played by Colin Farrell. Bateman’s boss is crazed Kevin Spacey.  Jennifer Aniston also stars, and makes sex eyes at Day’s character.  Farrell and Day are the highlights. I never got into It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which gave Day his acting success, but he is hilarious in this film, scoring most of the big laughs throughout. I thought his character was funny. Day plays a registered sex offender, caused by urinating in at a public playground while drunk. I missed seeing Farrell around, but his womanizing comb-over-sporting tweaker should suggest he’s here to stay, doing fine work with limited screen time. Foxx’s “M***er Jones” (that name is also accompanied by a clever explanation) really exists only to use that name in gags. I laughed at most of them, such as the three walking up to him in a bar and quipping, “Hey, M****r”. As the movie progresses, things certainly improve. The highlight of this comedy is when the gang opts to do surveillance and intelligence gathering at the homes of their supervisors. It brings hilarious results. Day’s Dale accidentally ingests drugs, and has an unexpected rendezvous with Spacey’s Dave. Each actor brings laughs. The setup is not particularly interesting. When situations get loony and over-the-top, humor is at its greatest. Because the premise does not take dark turns, as it could have, the resolution seemed to be a looming issue. The not-so-dark finale is average and the final confrontation between Dale and Aniston’s Dr. Julie is uproarious and fitting. Immediately following, we are presented with production bloopers. R-rated comedies are increasingly popular, thanks to the success of The Hangover.  Horrible Bosses delivers the guffaws and brings a new idea to the table, leaving both my funny bone tickled and sides sufficiently split. Rating: 7.5/10 Horrible Bosses Directed by Seth Gordon Written by Michael Markowitz and John Francis Starring Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell Other Player Affinity Staff Reviews John thought: "Horrible Bosses turns a brilliant premise and all the star power in the world into a limp mid-summer comedy that's far from horrible but even further from living up to its potential. I was consistently amused while watching the film, but I rarely laughed out loud and I don't think I ever found myself shocked by the material. What could have been the darkest of dark comedies ends up feeling a lot like every other R-rated comedy this summer. A few enjoyable and funny characters, particularly those of Jamie Foxx, Jason Bateman and Charlie Day, save director Seth Gordon's film, but they aren't enough to make it worthy of the unqualified recommendation I had been hoping I could give it." Rating: 6/10 Max thought: "To be blunt, I did not love Horrible Bosses but found it much funnier than other “three-buddy” comedies out there (the “Hangover” films being my main example). It’s not comedic brilliance in any way, but it’s direct, sometimes sharp and crass only when needed—notably whenever Aniston’s character is involved. Clearly the film is playing with extremes in its premise and is never afraid to laugh at itself or its heroes; this is a comedy after all. You’ve got some strong one-liners, a couple of fun supporting turns in Spacey and Foxx, a believable chemistry between the three heroes and a runtime that does not overstay its welcome, though the payoff is a little weak even by this film’s structure. Still, it’s mindless fun that doesn’t necessarily warrant a repeat viewing but doesn’t kill you to sit through one time. Just be sure to watch with friends, as “Bosses” is a movie best experienced with others." Rating: 6.5/10 Steven thought: "In general, the schizophrenic anxiety of whether it will go dark or stay lighthearted in addition to the tendency to pin turning points on the stupidity of the characters doesn’t outweigh the comic performances, especially that of Charlie Day. The Stooge-like function of their friendship provides most of the humor, though sometimes the slapstick diverges a bit from the tone of the story. The bosses are terrific too, helping to build the blue-collar fantasy provided by the gem of a concept of average dudes plotting to kill the purveyors of their daily misery. Honestly, "Horrible Bosses" needs only to ride that concept into the pseudo-dark sunset to succeed as an infinitely watchable comedy." Rating: 7/10   Player Affinity Composite Rating: 6.8/10