Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
There's no denying that this has been a good summer for original R-rated comedies. (I use the caveat "original" to eliminate THE HANGOVER, PART II from the discussion.) BRIDESMAIDS set the bar early, BAD TEACHER is unexpectedly strong thanks to a throwing-caution-to-the-wind performance by Cameron Diaz, and the upcoming 30 MINUTES OR LESS, well, let's just say it fits right in with my thesis. And this week, we have the another strong entry, HORRIBLE BOSSES, about three slightly dopey friends who decide that each of their bosses needs to die, so they decide to get one of the other guys to do it.
In a perhaps not so surprising revelation, the plot of HORRIBLE BOSSES isn't really the point, but even if it were, it actually holds up as remarkably well as it navigates through twists and turns that border on sophisticated. Jason Bateman's Nick is, I suppose, our entry point into this story. He works his ass off, putting in double-digit-hour days and most weekends, trying to please the man in charge, Harken (Kevin Spacey), a power-trip enthusiast who hints that all of Nick's hard work will lead to a management position. I think anyone who has seen Spacey's legendary turn in SWIMMING WITH SHARKS will recognize the template for Harken, but I didn't mind that he was tapping into some familiar territory.
Kurt (SNL's Jason Sudeikis, most recently of HALL PASS) actually has a great boss (Donald Sutherland), who promptly dies, leaving the company to his corrupt pig of a son Bobby (an almost unrecognizable Colin Farrell), who is intent on destroying the company. Nick and Kurt have a tougher time seeing the troubles of their dental assistant friend Dale (Charlie Day, from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and who showed great friend chemistry with Sudeikis in last year's under-appreciated GOING THE DISTANCE), whose sexy boss (Jennifer Aniston) is coming on strong between and during teeth cleanings. This wouldn't be such a terrible thing if Dale wasn't recently engaged.
After a night of drunken discussion, the fellas decide to go to the bad part of town and hire a killer. Instead what they get is a "murder consultant" in an ex-con (a nice supporting turn by Jamie Foxx), who advises them on doing the work themselves, but in a manner that leaves no connective tissue between the employee and the employer's murder.
With the exception of his abysmal FOUR CHRISTMASES, Seth Gordon is a solid director of comedy, including the documentary THE KING OF KONG (yes, a doc can be a comedy), as well as episodes of "Parks and Recreation," "Community," "The Office," and "Modern Family." But HORRIBLE BOSSES elevates him on the comedy landscape. Once the murder "plan" is in place, the story (from screenwriters Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan M. Goldstei) actually gets slightly complex, and Gordon does a nice job pacing the action, while ramping up the anticipation as the dirty deeds prepare to get done.
With Bateman, Sudeikis and Day (and let's throw Spacey in there too) essentially playing versions of characters we've seen them do before, the real standouts are Farrell and Aniston, both of whom dive into their vulgar behaviors with wild abandon. I should caution fans of Aniston's romantic comedies (I believe there are three of you out there) that your heads will explode at the language coming out of her mouth in HORRIBLE BOSSES. As for Farrell, sporting a sexy combover and shameless polyester wardrobe, his genius cannot be understated. I love when he takes risks like this, and I love it more when he tackles humor, in such films as IN BRUGES (and, I suspect, the upcoming FRIGHT NIGHT remake).
I don't want to give away any of the fun turns of the back half of HORRIBLE BOSSES, but there is death, some folks go to jail, and almost nothing in the gang's scheme goes as planned. The film gets dark and goes to some evil places, and each time it did, I loved it a little bit more. Story or no story, the three leads work so well together that I really hope they find a way to do another movie, either as these or different characters (like it's going to make a difference). The banter between Sudeikis and Day is especially worth repeating. In just the last couple of days, I've read some criticism of HORRIBLE BOSSES that say it's not as strong as BRIDESMAIDS. To that I respond, "No shit." Why are those two films even being compared? That doesn't make HORRIBLE BOSSES any less funny. Consider it a strong runner-up in the comedy category this summer, and go check it out.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcool.com
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