Horrible Bosses showcases three self-obsessed individuals to create a humorous comedy.

Rating: 6/10 (30 July 2018)

Bosses, who would have them? No one likes being told what to do. It's human nature to not want to be bossed around like a minion whilst the head honcho is making mountains of dollar. So when this comedy presents three different yet similar bosses, you may find one of them to be relatable (or you're lucky enough to have Sutherland's character). Three friends plot the murders of their overbearing bosses. We have a psychopathic master manipulator (Spacey), a sexually aggressive maneater (Aniston) and a moronic cocaine-addict (Farrell). This is a rather dark comedy from director Gordon, tackling the theoretical possibility of murder from three seemingly innocent hard workers. Bateman plays himself in everything. Sudeikis charismatically plays his part and possibly becomes the funniest. Day...well, he just grates on me. The constant high-pitched shouting does become tiresome. However, it's the three employers that really shine, clearly imitating enjoyment and hilarity within their performances. The screenplay, again, reaches for the depths of darkness. There are a few unnecessary misogynistic and racist jokes, but the vast majority of scenes and gags bring plenty of laughs. Including, but not limited to, manipulating an employee to drink scotch at 8:15am or searching for a hitman who turns out to be their "murder consultant". It's all fun and games for this American comedy, which is definitely one of the stronger modern films of its genre. Upholding a clean narrative structure that somewhat dissipates towards its conclusion. The first act impressively sets up each character and their motives, the second act slightly dips into the unimaginative territory and then the final act crumbles completely with plot conveniences and a rushed ending. As if Markowitz could not think of a suitable resolution, so settles with the most uninspiring forgettable conclusion possible. Horrible Bosses may not be as horrible as its title suggests, boasting decent performances and laughs. But loses it entirely in its final act.