You know the type – Everyone has had at least one in their adult “working” life. The only question is, will they admit it? I guess if you still are working for that boss, you may not want to admit it for fear of it somehow getting back to that person. But, for those of us who can look back to that one boss that drove you crazy, “Horrible Bosses” is for you. And while I hope it’s never been as bad as the situations shown in this film, I think we all can take some joy in watching this cast get that revenge so many of us have only dreamed of.
What’s it about? For all intent purposes, the story here follows three separate friends who each have a unique issue with their boss. For Nick (Jason Bateman), that’s dealing with Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) an egotistical financial ‘tool’ that takes pride in ruining Nick’s day. For Kurt (Jason Sudekis), that’s having to cope with the fact his new boss Bobby (Colin Farrell) will never be as great as his dad Jack (Donald Sutherland). Above that, Bobby will never even come close to helping Kurt get to where he wants to be within the industrial company he once dreamed of running one day. Then there’s Dale (Charlie Day), an up and coming dental assistant who just wants to learn his craft without being sexual harassed by his boss, Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston). But, that’s easier said than done, with Julia’s constant on-the-job teasing and punishment that most guys would probably enjoy. Not Dale, though, as he was engaged to marry his longtime girlfriend Stacy (Lindsay Sloane), who he very much loved and respected. So, one night after work, the three miserable souls decide to tell their own sob stories about their boss. Several beers later, they are etching a plan to stage some unfortunate deaths for Bobby, Dave and Julia respectively. The only problem is, they were no killers, so as the plans started to unfold, all hell broke loose leading to a fun and unlikely conclusion.
Who was in it? I remember when I first saw the trailer for this film, I felt a tad bit uneasy about the odd mix of Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis and Kevin Spacey. It almost seemed like it was too good to be true, as they each have a unique sense of humor about them both inside and out. Sure, I hoped it would work out, but going in, I kept my expectations extremely low. That helped, because had I expected some over-the-top performance by Spacey or Bateman, I would have been disappointed. The two guys have this way about them that is hard to duplicate, so I was glad to see them interact here so many times on screen together. That was fun and honestly, good for the rest of this cast which probably could not have managed without them. That may be strange to some, but I doubt Jennifer Aniston and Charlie Day could have done this by themselves. The few scenes they had were hilarious, but very much short lived and shallow within this mediocre story. Having said that, the one member to this cast that blew me away was Jason Sudeikis. He was classic and stole one scene after the next with his quick wit humor. Had I not been a fan of his before this film, I would now after seeing him bounce off Bateman and Day so easily.
Undervalued comedy – I have a feeling this film will not get its due after it’s all said and done. That doesn’t mean it was perfect, because virtually no comedy is, despite my love for the popular genre. It just means people may not get what director Seth Gordon was trying to do, which was to make you laugh despite the terrible things that the cast was doing and saying. That’s not easy to write, which is why I give credit to all three writers who collaborated for this script. Enough was written for each of the characters and nothing seemed forced which matters for any good comedy. Nothing seemed to be that overdone which was fine for the darker themes of the story. Let’s face it, when you break it all down, this is not your ordinary comedy with all the highs and lows. And quite honestly, I think for the current state of our country when it comes to jobs, a film like “Horrible Bosses” can really hit home for a lot of people.
Bottom Line – In a year that has been covered with R-rated comedies, we finally have one that many people can relate to, because what makes “Horrible Bosses” so much fun to watch is how honest it is. Yeah, it’s real stupid and ridiculous at times, but who cares. That’s the point and frankly welcomed given all these other R-rated comedies that simply are trying too hard.
B
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