Banana Scoop

I’m not exactly in the demographic this movie is aimed at. as I’m still 19 and kinda far from having a boss that I’d like to kill, but that doesn’t make this movie any less relatable.  Horrible Bosses does a good job in finding likable protagonists and villains to entertain those who don’t have bosses they want to kill.  The story itself isn’t too original or great and not all the jokes soar, but the cast is what really shines here.  It’s very clear that the cast has fun filming most of the movie and it shows in their dialogue.  Whether it be Colin Farrell’s suprisingly comedic chops, Jennifer Aniston’s delightful naughtiness, or Charlie Day screaming, Horrible Bosses is a character driven movie that’s likely worth your while.

Nick, Kurt, and Dale (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikas, and Day respectively) are three friends in bad places at their workplaces.  Nick is passed over for a promotion by his a******, corporate boss (Kevin Spacey), Kurt has to deal with his bosses’ coke addicted son (Farrell), and Dale is sexually harrassed by his dental boss (Aniston).  When they realize they can’t just quit their jobs, they go to a murder adviser Muthaf**** Jones (Jamie Foxx) to learn how to kill their boss.  The slapstick is enjoyable but fairly generic.  What’s truly funny here are the quips between the leads throughout the movie.

A naughty, naughty, hilariously naughty girl

As I’ve said this is a character driven movie and the leads: Nick, Kurt, and Dale have great chemistry between them, most notably Charlie Day’s Dale.  It’s easy to see that he channels a lot of Charlie Kelly from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia here, but it’s very welcome to bring a funny dynamic between the three.  Both Nick and Kurt also have their funny quips and memorable one liners and even the villainous characters each have their own hilarious quirks about them and are very well conveyed through their actors.  Spacey has fantastic comedic timing, Farrell plays a surprisingly fantastic douchebag cokehead, and every time Aniston said a dirty word [which is a lot], I got chills up my spine.   What’s gold here is the interactions between these characters.  Whether the lines between them were improvised or written on the script, it’s more than often the chill conversation between Dale and Nick will likely be funnier than any slapstick on the screen [que joke about bending someone over and showing them the 50 states].

Which brings me to the story.  The movie starts off well, introducing each character in a stylish and memorable fashion.  But structure-wise, the film follows formula and gets predictable at certain moments and there isn’t too much to compel the story in any dramatic fashion.  Slapstick after slapstick after slapstick, the film gets to its very anticlimactic ending that seems last minute put together and rushed.  Which isn’t necessarily bad especially because when you do films like these, it’s difficult to be original and while Horrible Bosses tried its best, it certainly didn’t break any new ground.

Hmm...You're pretty funny. More than I thought.

But like I said, what’s to value here isn’t the story, but rather the characters.  In terms of comedies, Horrible Bosses crushes most of its summer competition and quite frankly yearly competition with it’s undeniable charm and laughs, which makes it easy to recommend it to any average Joe, especially one with a job [que all of America..except maybe that 9% lol, getting political here on BananaFeed, that’s the real joke].

4/5 Stars