Horrible Bosses (2011)

Horrible Bosses is a hilarious film that anyone who has ever felt screwed over by a supervisor can relate to. Let's be honest, who has not wished that someone they do not like would just go away for good? Not necessarily die, but just go away.

Nick, Kurt and Dale are three middle aged best buds who act more like guys at least ten years younger. Nick is up for a promotion. Kurt pretty much runs the company he works at. Dale is a dental assistant who is engaged. Nick's boss leads him to believe he is getting moved up, only to pull it out from under him. Kurt's boss dies, leaving the company to his coke addict son. Dale's boss sexually harasses him at every chance.

They decide the only thing to do is to knock off the three people holding them back and causing them grief. What follows is a series of hysterical events as these three average Joes try to find an assassin and eventually plan and plot the murders. The movie rightly makes a nod to Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train and even Throw Mama From a Train.

The cast is all around great. Sudeikis and Day were the best thing about last years Going the Distance and again prove to be a great comedy team bouncing off each other like old friends. Bateman once again proves to be the premiere straight man of his generation. Spacey plays a slimy bad guy better than anyone. Jamie Fox is good as their murder guru with the awesome name. Farrell has a couple of good moments. His best being when he tells Sudeikis to trim the fat around the place by firing the fat people.

Aniston looks as hot as she ever has. She plays a horny bitch very well, even if her character is the least convincing. Someone as hot as her would not go after someone like Day for sex. That is not to say that I did not buy her harassing, as the level she takes it to has more to do with being dominate and controlling than actually having sex.

The plot moves along at a great pace, throwing jokes at the audience at a quick pace. You can see where most things are going long before they get there, but the ride is so fun you never care if you can spot the destination before you actually get there?

A last minute cameo by Bob Newhart seals the deal with a great punch line to end the movie. Do not miss Horrible Bosses.

Eric, I couldn't agree more. Horrible Bosses is a hilarious comedy that nearly anyone can relate to. It's silly and fun, featuring three likable leads who you can't help but root for, even if they are plotting to commit murder. Yes, it's all a bit predictable, but who cares?

One thing that I enjoyed is that although this is a guy comedy, for once the guy's aren't little man-boys who are obsessed with nothing but sex. They spend more time worrying about their jobs than they do about the opposite sex. Sure, Sudeikis's Kurt is a bit of a sex hound, but he's also the character who seems to have the most responsibility at his job. Charlie Day's Dale even turns sex down because he wants to stay loyal to his fiancee.

I equally concur with you Eric about Jennifer Aniston's hotness. Somehow she seems to becoming more attractive as she ages. How does that happen? Is there a painting in her attic we don't know about? If it's with the aid of a doctor, than whoever it is does very good work and if not than bravo to her. I don't know that her character is any more implausible than the under-used Colin Farrell. I think her main obsession with Dale is simply that he turns down her advances. If he ever did give in, I have the feeling she would quickly lose interest.

The interaction between the three leads often produces the funniest scenes. Whether it's some accidental coke snorting or their fish out of water behavior in the seedy bar where they go to hire a hitman. Bateman's sad sack everyman, Day's manic and silly character, with Sudeikis somewhere in between are so relaxed and funny together that it's quite easy to believe that they're friends.

From the first time I saw the previews to this movie, I thought of Strangers on a Train and I'm glad the film acknowledges it, even working in a joke to confuse Throw Mamma from the Train with Hitchcock. 

Although completely different in every other way, Horrible Bosses resembles the recently released Tom Hanks comedy Larry Crowne in that they both reflect the current financial situation with its bleak job prospects. While Larry Crowne offered optimistic hope, this movie simply wishes to entertain and perhaps distract us from our situation for a while, which is what Hollywood does best after all.

Horrible Bosses is funny but I don’t know about hilarious. The plot is pretty thin and the characters (other than the 3 leads) are all one-dimensional. Ever since The Hangover all male buddy comedies have 3 leads, the horny guy, the average guy and the weird guy with the beard. It’s not a bad combination but hardly original.

While I believe my brothers are a bit exuberant in praising this comedy, I agree about the cast. Bateman, Sudeikis and Day share an authentic camaraderie. In fact there isn’t a bad performance in sight including cameos by old timers Donald Sutherland and Bob Newhart.

Jennifer Aniston and Jamie Foxx easily steal their scenes. Her sexually aggressive antics and potty mouth cracked me up. “Well Shabbat Shalom, somebody's circumcised!” While Dean Jones’ story about how he earned his unusual nickname was funny in an unexpectedly quirky way, “I know who he is bitch. I can't walk around this fucking neighborhood with that Disney-ass name.”

Some of the jokes fall flat though, including the scene in the hotel room with the Wetwork Man and Sudeikis doing gross things to his boss’s toiletries. Call me old fashioned but I don’t find it particularly funny to watch someone stick another person’s toothbrush down the crack of their ass.

Perhaps I am being a bit harsh on this movie but judging from my brothers’ opinions I was expecting more. Horrible Bosses is amusing and fast-paced but hardly the comic equivalent of Strangers on a Train.