HORRIBLE BOSSES (2011)

Directed By: Seth Gordon 
Written By: Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein 
Story By: Michael Markowitz 
Cinematography: David Hennings 
Editor: Peter Teschner 


Cast: Charlie Day, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudekis, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, Lindsay Sloane, Meghan Markle, Donald Sutherland, Julie Bowen, John Francis Daley, Wendell Pierce, Ron White, Bob Newhart 

Three friends conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness.

This film is a time waster. It has a rather simple premise and some surprises, it feels like Jason Bateman is on autopilot and so is Jason Sudekis whose appeal i don’t entirely understand. He seems to always be playing smarmy characters. Who believe by acting like a jerk and having some witty lines basically channeling Chevy chase will create an Indelible screen personae.

It more or less makes him come off as sleazy more than appealing. Which one of my colleagues aquatinted with Owen Wilson For a while. I always felt Owen Wilson. At least has some kind of charm that makes him likeable.

The film has fun with it’s stunt casting Colin Farrell is funny in more of a cameo then supporting role.

Jennifer Aniston is funny and for one of the few times quite sexy in the film. Which only made her story line as an over sexed sex addicted dentist all the more unbelievable that she is sexually harassing her hygienist all the more false. That he would turn her down. The film tries to give him a sufficient enough reason of him being engaged but for real it could have been worked on a little better.

Charlie Day is truly the savior of this film. He as always is hilarious and believable in all of his scenes. He should be the real star, as his talent truly shines through.

The other surprise is that I truly enjoyed Kevin Spacey’s performance as the villain. He seems to revel In His role with an inbound glee. Using the acting ticks that sometimes annoy in his other performances to bring out the humor and vanity in his character.

Colin Farell Doesn’t add much to the film other than seeming like he is copying Tom Cruise from tropic thunder with bad prosthetics as one of the bosses, only here he is more in a cameo role then anything else but at least he shows himself to be a good sport.

Jennifer Aniston plays a nymphomaniac who seems to only have eyes for Charlie Day’s character for no reason at all. That she is forcing him into a compromising position. It’s totally unbelievable though some of her better work and she actually looks the part of femme fatale.

The film offers a few surprises and is subsequently dark but is in the border if mark and truly mainstream. The direction by Seth Gordon is a bit too broad. Just like his previous film the direction feels all Over the place and never precise.

Jamie Foxx is in this movie but you wonder why. As an actor who has won a BEST ACTOR Oscar he deserves better roles then this and DUE DATE basic cameo roles. These are the types of roles he played before making it big. It seems he went right back. The character here is nothing special. So It’s not that the writing is so spectacular he needed to take the role. Maybe he just wanted to be in a film that was a guaranteed hit.

The film feels pandering to the audience though with obvious over the topness.

It also seems less directed than planned and has a plastic kind of fairness that feels like a commercial promising to sell you something with a bunch of hype, but I never telling me it giving me the product. The same can be said of this film and other films like it. You pay for what you think you are going to get then walk away after Going to the film disappointed you never got what you paid for.

I wish I could Have enjoyed the film more but it plays out more like a sitcom in It’s humor and showiness then a film. It feels straight off the assembly line with very fee specific

GRADE: D+