Horrible Bosses: 9/10

I'll take my comedy raw, blackened, with a side of crazy please.
9 July 2011

Murder. Car chases. Scandal. Rape. Conspiracy. Blackmail. Revenge. These are usually the key words to a suspenseful drama, but in this case are applied to a dark comedy that is relentless, chaotic, and just as funny as advertised. Horrible Bosses is the type of movie that would make Danny DeVito proud, as it blends a fun plot full of fun twists with standout comedic performances, plenty of surprises, and the inability to ever become predictable. Unlike most recent R-rated comedies, this film is raunchy without truly crossing the line, profane without becoming redundant and outrageous without becoming tedious. Don't look now but this movie is legitimately funny, and among the better comedies released in quite some time.

Horrible Bosses is about three average joes (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis) that are stuck on their job with awful bosses (Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Ferrell) all for different reasons. After all three reach their breaking point, they decide that their lives would be better if their bosses ceased to exist. What follows is their hilarious efforts in finding a way to get it done without getting caught. The premise was promising and thanks to a fresh script by Michael Markovitz, John Daly, and Jonathan Goldstein, the potential was indeed delivered—although not in the ways you'd expect.

The cast is hands-down the standout reason why this movie works. As a matter of fact its also its one minor flaw because we have tons of talent that were not utilized enough because some of the performances were so hilarious in the minimal material given. The bosses themselves were convincingly awful, especially the always-reliable Kevin Spacey as this sadistic, manipulative, and extremely cruel president of a company. Colin Ferrell and Jennifer Aniston step out of their usual roles and surprisingly deliver plenty of laughs with their own cruelly aggressive mannerisms. The main three also provided plenty of laughs and played off each other perfectly well, with Charlie Day being the best of the three. Day's experience with the mildly-dark "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" definitely shows off here, as his whiny and high-pitched voice perfectly matches his character persona and offers the most laughs and one-liners.

Seth Gordon's resume as director has been an interesting one; ranging from the enjoyable Fistful of Quarters to the weak-weak Four Christmases. In here, he keeps the pace constantly quick, constantly throws a crazy scenario to pit our heroes in, and never gives you a chance to breathe and realize how preposterous this movie really is. The movie's raunchiness is matched by its grim sense of humor—you need a dark strong heart to laugh at some of the mean-spirited shtick that is embedded in the 100 minute timeframe. In this movie, nobody is safe, and you never know just what might happen next. Unpredictability is essential in comedy, and the best part of Horrible Bosses is how it can remain one step ahead of you while still giving plenty to laugh about. We are laughing at our heroes but secretly we are definitely rooting for them too. Yes folks, you will secretly be hoping that they do indeed do the dirty deed.

Bottom Line: The talent pool runs deep here, and is the main reason why the film works. Luckily for us and the cast, they also got to work with great pacing, a fun script, and fresh dark humor that can inject life in this dismal summer season. The underrated talent of Sudekis, Day, and Bateman continue to quietly shine in Hollywood as they are hilarious from the first second to the closing credits. But let's not forget the triple-villain team of Aniston, Spacey, and Ferrell, which infused even more humor (and craziness) into the comedy. To sum it up, the film works in its dark manner, as Horrible Bosses never takes itself seriously, but you'll be too deep into laughter to notice the difference. The movie is dark as the movie earned its R rating easily, but if you can handle it you are in for a uproarious ride. Keep an eye on this one, as it is one of the best summer surprises in recent years.