Horrible Bosses

[4.0 stars] [IMDB Link]

[Amazon Link]
(paid link)

Yet another movie where one of the guilty pleasures is a TV sitcom heroine (Jennifer Aniston in this case) doing and saying absolutely filthy things you can't do in primetime. (MPAA: "crude and sexual content, pervasive language and some drug material")

Jason Bateman, Jason Sudekis, and Charlie Day are three buddies, underlings to the titular Horrible Bosses: respectively, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, and Ms. Aniston. Spacey is a psychotic tyrant, whipping Bateman into Stakhanovite efforts with promises of a promotion, only to yank the carrot away at the last moment. Farrell is a drug-addled ne'er-do-well, looking to squeeze every drop of profit from his late father's chemical company in order to fund his dissolute lifestyle. And Aniston plays a dentist who's a nightmare combination of every sexual harassment story you've ever heard, trying to wangle hygienist Day into her scary clutches. All three buddies find themselves desperate enough to consider homicide. Being decent sorts, they are hopelessly inept and ambivalent in the execution.

The gags are nonstop, and the actors do a fine job. Especially good is Kevin Spacey, who can play dangerous manipulative nutjobs in his sleep. There are also some amusing performances in smaller roles: Jamie Foxx, Julie Bowen, Donald Sutherland, and Ioan Gruffudd. And Bob Newhart!


Last Modified 2024-01-28 2:21 PM EDT