Horrible Bosses
Three ordinary men; Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) share a common burden... their bosses. Quitting is not an option for the trio so instead they halfheartedly indulge in the thought of eliminating their bosses over a few beers. As situations become extreme at work they decide to commit to their idea in the form of hiring a hit man. They eventually stumble across ex-con man Dean 'MF' Jones (Jamie Foxx) who acts as murder consultant for the three refusing to do the murders himself. What results is a hilarious demonstration of stealth and conspiracy as the three execute their plan of attack.
The trio have excellent chemistry on screen which is the main reason for the films success. I hadn't seen Day or Sudeikis in anything before this film but I'm sure I will be seeing more of them in the future as they are deliver standout performances displaying excellent comic timing. Bateman worked well when he was with the other characters but ultimately he was pretty annoying. He so often plays the unlikeable/irritable character and this film is no exception. Foxx is hilarious as the shady murder consultant who steals every scene he is in (not many) delivering some truly memorable lines including how he got his infamous nickname.
The films boasts a very impressive cast with the three bosses played with immense enthusiasm by Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell. They all immersed themselves in their roles playing larger than life characters including a sleazy tool, slave-driving psycho and a sex crazed maneater. With roles such as these the actors really had to have fun with their characters and I think all three of them would have had a great time. To their credit all of them transformed completely into their characters even becoming almost unrecognisable in Farrell's case. My only negative towards their performances was that I didn't see enough of them, the majority of their scenes were already seen in the trailer and I would have liked to have seen the three bosses get more screen time.
Ultimately the films greatest success comes from the three screenwriters; Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein who really bring all the actors together in a whirlwind of chaos and humour. The three create a very entertaining screenplay not holding back in terms of profanity, sexual innuendo or gross out humour in what is essentially a very dark topic. Director Seth Gordon has embraced the style of comedy with enthusiasm allowing the writers and actors to have a great amount of freedom with the end result one of the funniest comedies of the year.
It's important to see this film as a comedy and not take the movie too seriously, as the three commit to their absurd idea of killing their bosses they quickly find themselves in over their heads. This is where the true comical aspect of the film lies as the trio have complete realisation they are not cut out for this line of work and in turn demonstrate a how-not-to-guide for house burglary, conspiracy and murder. Horrible Bosses is a guilty pleasure, where you just can't help but succumb to the humour and laugh out loud.
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