HORRIBLE BOSSES is directed by Seth Gordon, a name to be watching out for in the future. Gordon actually had his big break with the 2007 feature documentary THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS. Since then, he’s been involved with popular TV series including The Office, Community, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family.
Let’s set aside the notion that anyone with a job these days should be grateful, and instead assume we’re all employed, making the bad boss scenario much more relevant. HORRIBLE BOSSES hopes to capitalize on the current economic woes by appealing to the audience’s need for a good laugh. Let me just say, if HORRIBLE BOSSES were an IPO and stock prices were measured in laughs, this would be the best film to invest in since BRIDESMAIDS and THE HANGOVER.
HORRIBLE BOSSES is about three almost middle-aged, middle-class white guys with good jobs, but who all hate their boss. Jason Batman (PAUL, EXTRACT) returns in an all-too-familiar, but still enjoyable, performance as Nick Hendricks. Nick is a smart guy, but he takes more shit from his boss Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) than the average self-respecting human being ever should. Nick does this in hopes that he’ll get a major promotion, until Harken reveals a whole new level of evil that finally sends Nick over the edge. Kevin Spacey once again proves he has an uncanny skill for playing assholes, first evident from his performance as Buddy Ackerman in SWIMMING WITH SHARKS.
Jason Sudeikis (HALL PASS, THE ROCKER) plays Kurt Buckman, the one guy of the three who actually likes his boss (Donald Sutherland) until he dies of a heart attack, leaving his obnoxious cokehead son Bobby Pellitt (Colin Farrell) to run the company into the ground. Kurt is sort of a milder, less annoying and slightly more intelligent Stiffler-type character. Nick and Kurt are the Moe and Larry of these three stooges.
Charlie Day (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) plays Dale Arbus, the Curly. Dale is a dental assistant. Day’s performance is often like watching a younger Robin Williams stand-up, only not as refined. If this movie was cast with animated animals, Dale Arbus would be the squirrel from ICE AGE on a case of 5-Hour Energy Shots. Then, Dale Arbus inadvertently inhales cocaine.
Jennifer Aniston (THE BOUNTY HUNTER) plays Dale’s boss Dr. Julia Harris. Dr. Harris is hell-bent on getting Dale into bed, to put it very mildly, despite his engagement and commitment to monogamy. In all honesty, I hardly recognized Aniston at first, with her hair dyed dark, but that veil quickly passed. I find it difficult to look past Aniston’s choice to portray a shameless nymphomaniac in an R-rated raunchy comedy, yet still refrain from showing any more skin than a little harmless cleavage. Sure, it’s not about the nudity, but I’d like to see her take some kind of risk in her craft. For now, certain members of the audience will have to make due with Aniston spouting countless passages of pornographic playfulness. Unfortunately, she’s the weakest link in HORRIBLE BOSSES.
Jamie Foxx appears in a relatively small role, serving as a misguided mentor for the stooges as they plan the deaths of their unwelcome employers. Comedian Ron White adds another element of unpleasantness with his cameo as one of two detectives. He has an uncanny lack of talent as an actor, making Aniston look good, as an actress. One surprise cameo saves itself for the end, but falls a little flat compared to the natural flow of the film as a whole.
HORRIBLE BOSSES rewards the audience for their investment, paying dividends in laughs. There’s no better workout than a good, fun comedy that has you red-faced and breathing heavy for the majority of the film’s duration. This isn’t the absolute best comedy of 2011, but it certainly ranks in the top five.
Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
