One of the Few Good 2011 Comedies

Rating: 8/10 (18 November 2011)

Seth Gordon's HORRIBLE BOSSES is a breath of fresh air in a summer that's had a high dose of comedies that failed to get much of a reaction from me. With the exception of BRIDESMAIDS, there really hasn't been much to laugh at in 2011 and I was ecstatic that Gordon's film was a lot funny than the trailers led me to believe. The concept isn't original (and it even plays on that with a mention of THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN from the main characters) but that's to be expected anymore. It's the cast that makes this film so fun. The story centers on three friends: Nick, Dale, and Kurt. Dale slaves endlessly in his office job with hopes of eventually climbing the corporate ladder, unless his megalomaniac boss has anything to say about it. Dale is recently engaged and works as a dental assistant where sexually harassed on a daily basis by the gorgeous dentist he works under. And Kurt has recently come under hard times when his beloved boss has died and left his cokehead son behind to run the company into the ground. When enough is enough, the three hatch a scheme to murder each other's bosses with the aid of "murder consultant", Motherf***a Jones and it goes about as well as you would expect.
The humor in the film is essentially a lot of fast-talk from the main trio (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis) as they chatter over each other in hopes of getting out the better improv'd one-liners. You'll notice most scenes in the movie that feature two or more of them have them stumbling over each other's lines in a constant state of confusion. Still, the humor works. These guys are frightened, confused, and completely in over their heads in a complex murder scheme with only the most basic of advice from MF Jones (Jamie Foxx in a hilarious supporting role) to guide them through. Jason Bateman is always a safe bet for a good dose of funny, and Jason Sudeikis comes from the SNL family of comedy, which could go either way. Sudeikis is on the current SNL lineup and I haven't seen enough later episodes of the show to really form an opinion of him, but he's good here with his overactive libido and utter contempt for his coked-out tool of a boss. The wild card in the film for me was Charlie Day, as I'd never seen much "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" before this movie came out. Day was probably the funniest part of the movie in my opinion with his manic energy and total naivety. A "registered sex offender" for the weirdest of reasons, he has to suffer through his boss's advances knowing he won't find work anywhere else.
Speaking of the bosses, I don't know a single man who would loathe a job where Jennifer Aniston routinely tried to get in his pants. Aniston completely throws away the sweetheart image she's created from her previous work to be an over-sexed dentist determined on getting herself a piece of Dale. At first it's weird hearing raunchy comedy coming from Aniston, but it works. Kevin Spacey is Nick's boss, David Harken, and let's face it...Spacey's great in any role, especially one where he's on a power trip. It's no surprise that the film works him into the position as the primary antagonist. Finally, there's Colin Farrell as Kurt's boss, Bobby Pellitt. Farrell is over-the-top hilarious in a way that I never would've expected to come from him. I never saw him as a comedy type but he knocks you out here with his crappy comb-over and his shoddy karate kicks. He gets the best lines in the film for what little we get him. It's unfortunate but Farrell gets the least screen-time of all the bosses.
HORRIBLE BOSSES isn't going to find itself on many top 10 lists but it's great for some laughs. It's the most entertaining comedy to come out all year and one of the few times I've found myself laughing in the theater. The cast are superb and the antics are fast-paced. I doubt it's going to find any cult status and it may even be forgotten by this time next year but I think it's worth a viewing for those who've found our selection of good 2011 comedies to be slim pickings.