Horrible Bosses is funny. It is not a cinematic masterpiece or intellectually stimulating. But, it does not try to be any of those things. In the end, it is a film about the anger beamed to certain detestable bosses and a bumbling trio trying to fulfil their fantasies of taking them out.
Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), and Dale (Charlie Day) are high school buddies who still grab beers together and have horrible bosses. The camaraderie between the three provides a solid foundation for the film. They bicker and support each other in equal measure, just like most close male friendships. Each plays off of the other in pretty good balance.
Nick works for Dave (Kevin Spacey) a sociopath of the first order. He is manipulative, hateful, and cruel. He is up front with his threats in a way that most in the corporate world imagine their bosses privately are. He leverages Nick with promises of a promotion that will never come and threatens to sully his reputation if he tries to leave. Sure, real bosses are probably not this overtly cruel, but many feel trapped in a deadend job they cannot seem to quit for fear of not being able to find a replacement. I generally think Spacey is brilliant. This is not his best turn. But, he is still utterly cringe worthy. If anything I wanted more of his psychosis.
Kurt’s boss Bobby (Colin Farrell) is a spoiled, coke head, jerk, who never grew up — think panther statutes in the bedroom. He inherits the family company and is happy to drown it in prostitutes and coke. For must, Farrell’s humor is one of contrast. We cannot imagine him as a beer bellied, balding, greedy, imbecile; but he is and it is pretty despicable. They really do little with Bobby besides the cognitive dissonance shtick.
Dale’s boss Julia (Jennifer Aniston) is a sexual harassing, nymphomaniac, with a blackmail streak — think an updated version of Demi Moore in Disclosure. I actually think Aniston steals the show. She is sexy, sadistic, and cruel. She really dove into the role and makes a splash. She both titillates and makes you feel seriously uncomfortable. She was absolutely refreshing. Aniston is assisted by Day’s great reactions and fumbling style. Day did a great job as an awkward and uncomfortable employee. He drips with uneasiness. They played well off of one another.
The trio suffers from some serious group think in devising to kill their bosses. They are clumsy, bumbling, and naive. The chaos of three normal guys trying to figure out how to kill their bosses is inherently funny, but the film does a good job of exploiting the jokes. The interaction between the three is particularly good. They play off of each others neurosis. Some of the best material comes from their disunity and arguing. They are also exploited fairly well by Jamie Foxx who has a decent cameo.
Horrible bosses is an opportunity to see submissive personalities trying to get together and somehow overcome the bully, filled with predictable foibles. The end product is passable. Yes, there are moments when the story drags. There are also moments when the film either goes over the top or falls short. But in the end it is worth the laughs.
PARSI VERDICT: Not the bosses of humor, but worth a good laugh.
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