daniel cohen reviews the new film starring Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston …
Plot: Fed up with their horrible bosses, three friends decide they are going to murder them as they try and track down a professional killer (Jamie Foxx).
I can’t say I had a lot of ‘LOL’ moments, but Horrible Bosses gave me consistent chuckles all the way through. One of the best elements to this film is that you have a lot of well known actors playing outside their comfort zone, most notably the three bosses.
Colin Farrell was hysterical playing a coked-out asshole, complete with comb over. To sum up his character, he barrels out of his nice garage and gorgeous car at blazing fast speed blasting Boston’s ‘More Than A Feeling.’ This was probably Kevin Spacey’s most villainous role since Seven. He’s completely nuts, but always a riot when on screen. The only boss who was a little out there was Jennifer Aniston. Her character was sex-crazed to the point where she felt like a super-villain. She’s insane. It’s not that she doesn’t do a good job, but it’s just a little much where it’s hard to believe she wouldn’t have lost her job by now. You don’t see too much of her though. She’s in it just the right amount.
The bosses really are side characters though as the movie is driven by its three leads. Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis all had great chemistry. The material is very well written. It’s just solid funny dialogue, especially when they make Law and Order references. The guy who was a revelation though was Charlie Day, who we know more from television (It’s Sunny In Philadelphia). Get this guy more work. He shines like crazy in this movie, nailing every moment he’s on screen. Bateman is his consistent self as the leader of the pack.
And then there’s Jason Sudeikis. Sudeikis certainly redeemed himself from the atrocity that was Hall Pass earlier this year where I never wanted to him again. But they make him the ‘sex crazed friend’ once again, and I just can’t help but think of him as really douchey whenever he hits on someone, or bats an eye at a woman, even from across the room. That aspect of his character was played down though. It’s not in your face, but it was still a problem for me. This was certainly a step in the right direction for Sudeikis though.
As far as the comedy goes, like I said, I never rolled out of my seat in stitches, but I was laughing all the way through. The beginning was a little rough. They are just trying too hard. hey put these titles up on the screen that didn’t really hit for me, and the first joke is about Bateman’s character walking in two minutes late which I didn’t find funny. But once the three main characters come together at the bar to complain, the film takes off.
Probably the funniest joke in the whole movie is when they meet Jamie Foxx’s character who assists them with the murders. His name and the explanation of his name probably was the closest thing to me falling out of my seat laughing.
The movie isn’t lazy and actually takes the time to make sense of things that other films would not do. For example, the way these bosses treat the main characters, there’s no way they wouldn’t just quit or report them, but the film gives you plausible and funny loop holes as to why they can’t. I appreciated that a great deal.
What I did not appreciate was a long-running joke about a car navigation system that was really annoying. This was really weird and kind of just took me out of the movie. It plays a part later in the film as well, and was infuriating. This movie made me never want to see a car navigation joke ever again.
This is a solid script executed very well by all its actors. The only weakness is that when the three of them are on their own, it lags. The only guy who was able to carry on by himself was Charlie Day, who is easily the best part of the film. Horrible Bosses isn’t perfect, but I’m pretty sure you’ll leave with a smile on your face.
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Good)
