Movies Reviews

Horrible Bosses – Movie Review

By Anne Brodie Jul 7, 2011, 13:09 GMT

Management candidate Nick (Jason Bateman) has been logging 12-hour days and eating everything his twisted supervisor Harken (Kevin Spacey) dishes out, toward the promise of a well-earned promotion. But now he knows that’s never going to happen. Meanwhile, dental assistant Dale (Charlie Day) has been struggling to maintain his self respect against the relentless X-rated advances of Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston), when she suddenly turns up the heat. And accountant ...more

Horrible Bosses is a great title. Who hasn’t had a horrible boss?  Who hasn’t fantasized about getting even?  Well, someone did something about theirs in this dark little comedy.  It’s a kind of feel good movie for the morally challenged yet cowardly.

What we have is an update of Strangers on a Train and Throw Mama form a Train only as a threefer. Three pals have a common gripe – their horrible bosses.  

Nick (Jason Bateman) is expecting a promotion after eight years of kowtowing to his awful boss played by a perfectly cast Kevin Spacey.   And then he’s passed over.  Insult to injury, boss #1 is nutjob, sadistically addicted to abusing Nick. 

Dale (Charlie Day) is being systematically sexually harassed and brutalized by his boss, a deranged dentist played with abandon by Jennifer Aniston in her least becoming role ever.  His friends tell him to man up, that it’s good to be at the receiving end of a sexual deviant.  Eh?

And Kurt, Jason Sudeikis, is at the mercy of the son of his mentor (Donald Sutherland whose character dies in a car crash early on), a coke snorting, sexual outlaw whose home looks like “Shaper Image took a d...p”.   

Colin Farrell plays this lout with the wicked attitude, whose stupidity is enhanced by his bald headed comb over and clothes a rat wouldn’t nest in.  He’s got it in for Kurt who stands between him and the company’s money.

The three actors couldn’t have better chemistry, they’re friends, and we believe them. They plot and plan and have differing actions to the word “murder”, and “toothbrush”. Three different guys, three similar motives, three brains trying to come up with the perfect plan to off those who have made their lives misery upon misery. 

Do their bosses deserve it? Undoubtedly.  Will they get it? Seems unlikely with this motley crew of doing the planning.

And it’s even more unlikely if they follow the advice of one Motherf****r Jones (Jamie Foxx) a smooth talking low life who has just come home from prison. For five large, he’ll guide them in their vengeance. Foxx is just extraordinarily funny in a role he’s never done before.  And by the way, really fun stunt casting. 

Julie Bowen plays Spacey’s wife and Old Spice Guy Isaiah Mustafa shows up as a cop.   The aforementioned Sutherland is in the film for mere moments, but that’s enough to make an impression.

Horrible Bosses isn’t outrageously funny like Hangover or Tropic Thunder.   It’s R-rated comedy lite with a great story and three engaging leads.  It’s an interesting case of a film filling in its own gaps. 

During moments when this latest in the R-rated comedy wave has a moment that’s not exactly hilarious, the story itself is so interesting that it doesn’t matter much.  The entertainment energy level remains the same straight through, with, several tasty treats over the credit roll.

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35mm comedy
Written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein
Directed by Seth Gordon
Opens: July 8
Runtime: 98 minutes
MPAA: Restricted
Country: US
Language: English