Just when you thought the R rated comedy had been done to death, Horrible Bosses comes along. I’ve actually been annoyed at how mediocre these comedies have been in the past year and a half. I don’t think rated R comedies will truly die until Judd Apatow retires or at least the day American Reunion (American Pie 4) is released.
Horrible bosses shows the rough employment of Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day. Jason Bateman(Arrested Development) has been working his a$$ off to impress his boss, Kevin Spacey (playing evil Kevin Spacey). Of course he is passed up for the new VP of sales job. Jason Sudeikis(SNL) works for a chemical company under the supervision of a coked-up, unrecognizable Colin Farrell. Farrell’s only motivation is to run the business into the ground to make some short-term cash. Charlie Day(It’s always sunny in Philadelphia) has the least critical situation. He is engaged but his sex-crazed boss, Jennifer Aniston is trying to blackmail him into sleeping with her. Yes it’s a ridiculous situation, but Charlie Day manages to be so quirky that you believe he really doesn’t want to sleep with a very attractive Aniston.
The three of them joke about and eventually decide life would be easier if they just killed their bosses. Yes, it’s a silly premise, but every comedy I’ve seen in the past 2 years has been based off ridiculous premises, for example: Hungover again(Hangover 2), Adam Sandler faking divorces to meet women(Just go with it), Switching sperm samples in a drunken panic(The Switch), etc. Funny that Jennifer Aniston is in most of these movies that are based off of silly backstories.
This movie is a good thing for everyone involved. I can see Charlie Day taking off from this. Yes I know he is in “It’s Always Sunny” but this role and being hired on for Guillermo Del Toro’s new monster pic are going to help him a great deal. I really think he and Jennifer Aniston come out of this movie having the most memorable scenes. The entire cast is great. I was even surprised by how much I like Jamie Foxx’s scene stealing character Dean “M.F.” Jones. I normally can’t stand the guy but am now sort of excited for his upcoming role in Tarantino’s new movie “Django Unchained.”
Did this movie have too many sexual jokes for a comedy about killing your boss? Yes definitely. I actually think this could have been a great movie in a different director’s hands. Yes, Seth Gordon (King of Kong) did a good job, but it just seems like a by-the-numbers sort of shoot. This movie needed energy and even to go darker. A director like Edgar Wright would have made this movie a cult classic.
If you’re looking for a guilty-pleasure laugh that is much better than Hangover 2 I recommend this one for sure. I’m giving it a solid B.
