Horrible Bosses ended up being more than I could ever hope for. It's a cathartic release of unbridled laughter and good feelings, after all, who hasn't ever dreamed about offing that annoying co-worker or ball busting boss they have to deal with every damned day. That's exactly what Horrible Bosses is essentially about. Three pals; Dale, Nick, and Kurt have 3 of the worst bosses on Earth. One day they decide enough is enough and formulate a plan to off each other's bosses.
The thing that makes the film work is the script and the actors in it.
Jennifer Anniston is fucking HOT in this film. I've never been attracted to her before, but I'll be damned if this film hasnt changed my mind about her. Not only is she hot, but she's got some of the funniest scenes in the film. It's a riot to see what she puts poor, timid Dale through on a daily basis. I don't know about you guys, but I don't think having Jennifer Anniston constantly hunting for my dick is something to complain about.
Kevin Spacey is suitably terrifying and tormenting in his role as crazed psycho-boss, however I didn't find his performance here anything to scream to the heavens about. He does what is required of him, and he does have some LOL moments but he's probably the only more-or-less serious character in the film. There's nothing wrong with that, but there is a point in the film where he begins to take precedence over the other bosses, and that detracted from the overall experience. All I could think as his role slowly became larger and larger was: Where did Jennifer Anniston go??
Colin Farrell is hilarious as the coke-addled moron who inherits the company that Kurt works for. He's mainly in the first half of the film, and his scenes are as gut-busting as Anniston's are. He never seemed like much of a threat to be honest, with the way he was acting it's only a matter of time before another disgruntled employee put a gun to this dude's head. Still, he makes for quite a memorable semi-villain in the film.
Jamie Foxx is perfect as the man with the golden name: Motherfucker Jones. That's right, you heard me correctly his name really is Motherfucker Jones. Do I need to say anything more???? He plays a bad-ass hitman of sorts that Dale, Kurt, and Nick go to for advice and help. I really enjoyed every scene he was in as he was equal parts dead serious and hilarious, finding the right mixture of each so his character came across as balanced and real.
As great as these characters are though, the ones that make the film so damn enjoyable are Dale, Kurt, and Nick. Our three protagonists who are sort of modern day heroes to the everyman. Yes, their idiots; yes, their in way over their heads, but they have the inititaive and the drive to see their plan through all the way to the end. They HATE their bosses, I mean REALLY HATE their bosses, and who can blame them??? Sudeikis, Bateman, and Day are perfectly cast and play off each other constantly. I'd dare say alot of their scenes were probably adlibbed. They come across as real friends that have been together for a long time, and I love that. There's real chemistry there and in the end, that's the biggest selling point of the film: their chemistry.
Jason Sudeikis is great as Kurt, who's new boss is Bobby (Collin Farrell). Kurt is the smooth ladies man of the group that always knows what to say to really turn her on. It's fun to see his frustration as he tries to communicate and talk sense into moronic Bobby, who only cares about making a quick buck and firing people that make him feel uncomfortable. As he tries to explain to Bobby that this is wrong, his expressions say it all: It's like trying to talk sense into a child. He's fucking hilarious.
Jason Bateman is Nick, the center of the group and the more-or-less rational one. He works for Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) who terrorizes Nick, teases him, and humiliates him all for his own personal enjoyment. Nick is a man who has worked hard for many years and put up with all the shit Harken has put him through, and when Harken inevitably draws the line and Nick tries to stand up for himself for the first time, seeing Harken's ruthless attitude as he claims Nick as "His Bitch" and Nick's reaction to this is a very real moment in the film that puts us fully on Nick's side and makes us hate Harken all the more. Oh yeah, and Nick is VERY funny as well.
Charlie Day is Dale, the timid and shy underling to Jennifer Anniston's nympho dentist Julia Harris. Dale is engaged to a beautiful woman. This infuriates Julia to no end, since she thinks Dale is HERS. She continually comes at him with a sexual aggressiveness that, I'm not gonna lie, actually turned me on. Scary, I know. Seeing Dale's terrified reactions to her behavior is gut-wrenchingly, slap your knee till it's red hilarious. It does make you wonder though, what do dentists do when they put you out. They could dress us up in funny outfits and make us do humiliating poses and we would be none the wiser.
Behind every great film, there is a superb script that holds everything together, and Horrible Bosses is no different. While I do suspect that there was a good amount of adlibbing going on in the film, there is still no denying that there is a strong prescence of a script here. The script by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Johnathan M. Goldstein, and the direction by Seth Gordon pile on the laughs, but keep the film moving at an even pace for the duration of its running time. That is what makes this film so goddamned good. Yes, it's HILARIOUS, but it never runs ahead of itself or loses steam. The film moves at a consistent rate, and thank god for that.
Now we move back to my question I proposed at the beginning of the review: Is Horrible Bosses the best comedy of 2011??? Well, I'm gonna go out on a ledge here and say yes...I think it is. It's evenly paced, got strong direction, has great actors and characters, and generates a lot of laughs. As I said before, It's downright cathartic, and I'm pretty sure I've never used that phrase when referring to a comedy before. Horrible Bosses will leave you with a "Feel Good" feeling, and will keep you laughing from beginning to end, and in this age where we have witnessed a depression, where our country is currently at war, and where our personal lives have been tainted by the economic crash...well, I think what we need now more than ever is to laugh and feel good, and that's exactly what Horrible Bosses offers us: A chance to sit back and laugh for a good hour + and forget our problems. It's medicine that's candy flavored. You MUST see Horrible Bosses.
5/5 Stars BETTER THAN SEX
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