Review: Horrible Bosses

We’ve all been there, right? Stuck in a corner at a job we can’t stand looking out over co-workers we don’t want to be around and a boss that invades not only the hours we spend at work, but our very dreams at night. You haven’t? Well, neither have I, but some people can relate and Horrible Bosses relies heavily on that connection to its audience to get the film rolling.A simple concept and something I’m sure we’ve all considered from time to time, the age old conundrum of what would happen if my boss died and how would I do it. This drunken conversation that goes beyond simple intoxicated desire lands three friends, Nick, Dale and Kurt in a whole world of trouble. Nick (Jason Batemen) is someone who has resigned himself to take a lot of crap, works all hours and looks to a single dot of hope on the horizon, a promotion that will ineviteably never come his way. Dale (Charlie Day) is the optimist with a heart of gold who dreams only of being a good husband while Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) is the womanizing friend whose easy going life ties nicely in to his great job and good relationship with his boss. Each of these relationships are strained over the first act of the film and eventually the characters come to the only obvious solution: They must kill their boss.The film wouldn’t work without the three different boss’ played by Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell and Kevin Spacey didn’t throw themselves so whole heartedly in to the roles. Each comes off with a comic believability that I’d hasten to guess they were playing a caricature of themselves within the role. Aniston is the sex starved man eater bent on destroying her assistant; Farrell is a coke-head womanizer whose desire to become a fighting champion is second only to his desire not to run his now deceased fathers company while Spacey is the control freak boss with a healthy scoop of insane on top to spice things up. Perhaps the most notable of cameos is Jamie Foxx as the friend’s “Murder Consultant” Muthafucka Jones. Yes, that’s his name.

The script, penned by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathon Goldstein, keeps the raunchy comedy tight and fast moving, not dwelling too long on each scene while it capitalises on a slightly long feeling 100 minutes of screen time. The film loses a little traction in the third act as the hapless trio’s master plan begins to unravel around them and they realise murder isn’t as easy as it is on Law and Order. The three main stars gel exceedingly well, the script allowing them little time to set up and begin the plot moving is a risky move but works well here, little exposition is needed and the meat of the story is quickly unravelled and set upon.

Horrible Bosses is a raunchy R-rated comedy with affable characters and insane cameos from three of the most unexpected sources of comedy. Although I feel a lot of these cameos grew from Tom Cruise’s oft-lauded cameo in Tropic Thunder, I am glad to see others stretch themselves a little and the pay off is excellent. The film skirts away from any of the Sandler movie soppiness where the protagonist will realise his true feelings right before the credits role and, although it really becomes something different than the set up, is a great easy watching movie that isn’t risque enough to be offensive while still keeping an edge and sense of direction, something other comedies of the same style would do well to pay attention too.