Horrible Bosses Movie Review

Who hasn’t had a horrible boss at least once in their life? Friends Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) are fed up with their respective bosses’ blatant abuse of power.  Over drinks after an especially gruesome day, they decide to murder their superiors (Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell) as the only way to escape their tormentors wrath permanently.

Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) is an office tyrant. He is selfish, domineering, and unyielding with his employees, especially Nick (Jason Bateman).  Spacey is remarkably on par in his truly evil performance—doling out a lifetime of office enslavement to his underlings.  Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston) takes sexual harassment to the next level with her dental assistant Dale (Charlie Day).  She breaks from her good-girl character to reveal her potential as a comedic actress uninhibited by a very raunchy and sexually explicit role.  It is surprising and refreshing to see Aniston no holds barred.  Bobby Pellit (Colin Farrell) is easily one of the most off-the-wall characters; Farrell absolving his actor identity as a love interest and adopting the gross vulgarity necessary to play Bobby Pellit.  His character is so absolutely hilarious and miserable with a comb over to top it off, you want to witness the farce for much longer than the film allows.

But this isn’t your run of the mill dark comedy. The humor remains remarkably light-hearted throughout the film.  Jamie Foxx’s ex-con character MF Jones fits unexpectedly well into the cast as the Nick, Kurt and Dale trio plot their bosses’ all too deserving demise.  Despite his smaller role, Foxx clearly commits to the role, from his bad negotiating skills to the awkward way he sips a cocktail.

Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day exhibit remarkable chemistry for a film that does not delve into the dark humor promised by the premise—to commit murder.   The pacing and the flow are often sacrificed to get in the jokes. But just when it seems it will slip into the traps of a cliché comedy film, it still surprises the audiences with delightful new twists and jabs.

What’s more, the film does an excellent job remaining unpredictable throughout.

Watch the trailer below:

You can check out the Horrible Bosses website for more information about the film.