"Horrible Bosses" (2011) - Movie Review

There cannot be a review which cannot mention Kevin Spacey reincarnating Buddy from “Swimming with Sharks”. I remember that film vividly like yesterday and I remember the scathing review I gave for it despite its terrific film making by George Huang. Here is Spacey again in similar role as though Buddy has grown older, meaner and violent in Dave Harken though this time around the comedy of it overcomes it.

“Horrible Bosses” is the one of the funniest films I have seen in a very long time. That does include “The Hangover” and why is three good beings deciding to kill their bosses for their evil nature tops that post debauchery clean up? It has more to do with the plethora of cast put forth by Seth Gordon. It has Jason Bateman as Nick Hendricks who can do the lovable normal comedic guy still chilling enough to provide a dark edge to it. There is Jason Sudekis as Kurt Buckman having the gift to charm ladies and simply pull of subtle references as he walks by carrying his SNL talents. And finally is Charlie Day from “Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia” playing the nicest guy Dale Arbus of three and the audience along with his buddies do think that he does not have a horrible boss in the voluptuous and seductress Jennifer Anniston as Dr. Julia Harris. With Colin Farrell transforming himself as both disgusting and ugly as Kurt’s new boss, this film comes up with surprising performances after “Tropic Thunder”.

So these three buddies have the horrific and evil managers making their life miserable and cornering them as much as they can to pop them out. The film is a perfect set up and there is not much of predictability rather than unexpected acts and random cats jumping around. The scenes with Bateman, Sudeikis and Day are nothing short of fun. It is not the regular combo wherein there is an always “stupid” character running around making mistakes while the others fall into that trap and complain and wonder about how horrid they can get in messing things up. Here everyone takes equal share of blunders in the most hilarious fashion and this is the best part, sticking to their characters.

Contrary to the Bateman fans who witnessed his performance through “Arrested Development”, I saw his capability in one of the worst films “Smokin’ Aces” as the sky high lawyer coming in for hardly five minutes and mesmerizing the screen with his performance. I would like to see more of that than the less of his normal avatars. In “Horrible Bosses”, while he does not pull a rabbit out, he is seamless with his co-stars working the magic along. Clearly the chemistry between Sudeikis and Bateman stands out but then again Charlie Day and Sudeikis rope each other sufficiently well. Thus providing a balance force between these two without even making the audience see through it. It works tremendously.

“Tropic Thunder” is the last film wherein I could not stop myself from laughing hard in a theater. There Robert Downey Jr. provided one of the best performances greater and tougher than a dramatic role that should have earned an Academy Award but sadly as it goes for comedy films, it was snubbed. While “Horrible Bosses” does not have great performances it has these numerous casts providing their best in the very short time. Take Jamie Foxx with the oddest and coolest invention of a name for a gangster in a film playing against and for stereotype. Jennifer Anniston going mean, ruthless and a sexual monster towards Charlie Day’s Dale is another treat. All of them mix and match in a way that appears like a lucky coincidences.

The writing by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein provides that platform that holds the film upright and endure it with the flavour of delicious comedy it was written with. I have always admired the idea of a comedian acknowledging their joke that did not work right in the act. Somehow there is a redeeming quality to it but more than that it paves way for the non-working joke segueing for a better joke. Thereby it also creates a bond between the person and the audience in enjoying it together. This technique I have only seen and observed in Conan O’Brien and rarely do I transfer that to films. “Horrible Bosses” has those acknowledging factor that gets the audience into the screen and have fun with the guys doing funny mistakes and working their way out in much dumber means.

“Horrible Bosses” might be termed as the run of the mill crude comedy and lined up with those in the past yet it has immense quality to it. It knows its jokes and the cast knows it better and put a spin on it where it clicks at all the right places. Despite the roundabout predictable nice ending, the film directed by Seth Gordon is absolute fun film and a wonderful collection for your film library.