Director: Seth Gordon
Starring: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day
Year: 2011
As these terribly wrong, terribly awkward, terribly ridiculous comedies go, Horrible Bosses isn’t so bad. It’s no Game Night, it’s more Tag, but it’s also got some fun all its own, and that’s not as common as you would hope. It’s definitely one of those movies that you cringe most of the way through, would never show your mom, and regret laughing at a bit, BUT that doesn’t mean you don’t laugh anyway. An enjoyable deviance, Horrible Bosses ain’t too shabby.
Best friends Nick, Kurt, and Dale love their lives but hate their bosses; the Man is keeping them down. They work hard, they like what they do, it’s just these assholes who are in charge and keep ruining everything; wouldn’t it be so much nicer if they just …went away? So the trio hatch a plan to murder each other’s bosses and make it look like accidents, a nifty plan in theory, apart from the fact that they all suck at plotting to kill people, and will probably get caught before they even get the balls to do it.
‘Wrong’ doesn’t even begin to describe this film; it’s far beyond that. From the very beginning to the wacky ending, this movie is sexual, offensive, gross, & awful …and also kind of hilarious. I didn’t love it as much as some comedies in this genre, but I can say I liked it a hell of a lot more than most others. It’s at least fun, inventive, button-pushing, it tries, and it never sleeps on the job, it’s always going. Really, the bosses make it hilarious: Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston. But the three friends are funny too, have great chemistry, mess up everything, and, much like Hangover, work together in the end to figure it all out. Prepare yourself for intentionally offensive material, but also count on a good time.
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆