Horrible Bosses

‘Horrible Bosses’ make good movie material

 

On the heels of Hollywood’s shoddy attempt at reckless female-fueled vulgarity (the flimsy Cameron Diaz-fronted lewdfest “Bad Teacher,”) Seth Gordon’s F-bomb fiesta, “Horrible Bosses,” allows its adept cast a chance to naturally embrace their inner nastiness without the scent of desperation wafting throughout every scene.

 

Though it’s not the second coming of crass, Gordon’s black comedy flows quickly and assertively due to a notable roster of lead actors playing to and against type. As last year’s action-comedy “Red” proved, a ridiculous premise, pedestrian punchlines, and clunky pacing can always supersede mediocrity as long as the right players are involved.

 

Despite a high concept – three middle class men take umbrage with their loathsome bosses and decide to off them in order to rid their lives of stress – “Horrible Bosses” avoids becoming just another pitch meeting cliche by banking on the likability and comedic draw of its three main protagonists.

 

There’s Jason Bateman as Nick, a sarcastic corporate cog, reveling in deadpan pragmatism. Jason Sudeikis is Kurt, a confident, affable and quick-witted industrial company worker playing up the nice guy hornball shtick like Vince Vaughn in “Wedding Crashers,” only with infinitely less prose. Then, there’s our resident oddball Charlie Day, as the innocent but daft dental assistant Dale, adding some manic slapstick and high-pitched screeches into the mix.

 

The three fellas aren’t necessarily a match made in heaven, but they are a cohesive trio with accommodating timing. Even as Day outshines his co-stars, he does so unintentionally – no scene-chewers here, and no need, as everyone slickly picks up the slack. No weight carried, no questions asked.

 

But there are a few scene-stealers, and of course, they are our antagonists, the triad of evil bosses with menacing motivations and some questionable wardrobe choices. Nick’s spiteful supervisor is the ego-manical Dave (Kevin Spacey), power-tripping around the office as he verbally abuses his staff. Kurt contends with his boss’s son Bobby (Colin Farrell) a disgusting Lothario with a raging coke addiction. The newly engaged Dale fights off the inappropriate and consistent advances of Julia (Jennifer Aniston,) as she threatens to break up his relationship with incriminating photos.

 

Of the three workplace villains, Spacey maintains the most prominent and sadistic role, one-upping his malignant presence as a repulsive producer in 1994′s “Swimming with Sharks.” Farrell is the most underused of the crew, he skirts hunky typecasting by donning a bald cap and some ill-fitting suits, and he’s funnier than his costuming. Sadly, our former bad boy dreamboat isn’t given enough screen-time to shoehorn in any extra one-liners not seen in the trailer. And then there’s Jennifer Aniston, the most likable she’s been in a comedy since “Office Space.” Funny what a few filthy bits of dialogue will do for one’s on-screen charisma-factor. It’s nice to see her in a supporting role, far away from rom-coms, and evenly matched with her comedic counterparts.

 

Seth Gordon redeems himself from his last comedy effort, 2008′s noisy and flat “Four Christmases,” but doesn’t quite summon the awesomeness that surrounded 2007′s “The King of Kong,” his debut documentary about socially awkward video game competitors. Not that our director should stick to documentaries, but his feature film style is frenetic and undernourished. The hastiness is welcome (especially as films get longer while our cultural attention spans shrink) but sometimes jarring, as a sense of raw unexpectedness is only in arm’s length. “Horrible Bosses” is best when left up to its cast to drop some sarcasm, wit, and presence, anyway. To that end, the film has more personality than most R-rated comedies. It’s simple workplace creed: hire the best people, and they’ll do the best job.

 

by: Aimee O’Connor // July 14, 2011