More generic brand comedy

Rating: 5/10 (25 July 2011)

Movies with the most hilarious seeming concept often produce the most disappointing results. Such is the case of Horrible Bosses, a film about three blundering idiots who decide to kill their own bosses who make each of their lives a living hell. The three leads are Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis, a trio that can deliver plenty of funny lines and dish out some amusing banter, but lack a lot of chemistry to make them a believable trio of friends. The bosses are played by Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, and Colin Farrell who I can say all make entertaining, albeit over-the-top, villains. Horrible Bosses is good for a few laughs, but not much else.
The premise of the film is really what drew me into this film along with the cast which I am a big fan of except for Jennifer Aniston who was surprisingly one of the better characters in the film. Anyways, this film has a premise that is a bit ridiculous but has the potential to deliver some hysterical scenarios. Horrible Bosses doesn't really take advantage of this and ends up being another generic comedy that just goes through the motions of a sub-par gag flick. It is an R rated film so thankfully it doesn't have to hold back on the raunchiness, paving the way for a lot more laughs than a PG-13 stamp would have merited.
Horrible Bosses is really nothing more than a middle of the road comedy that you won't remember long after you see it. It's simple minded and unoriginal, never tossing in a plot point that will throw you for a loop. You can easily predict everything before it happens and there's nothing that will really take you by surprise. It's a film that offers too many easy solutions to difficult situations and problems, cheating itself out of more hilarious scenarios that could have gotten a much bigger laugh. The story line offers up problems and then shoots them down with incredibly simplistic and unbelievable solutions that highlight the film's laziness and drain it of its creativity. It hurts to watch this film commit comedic suicide, but you have to sit back and watch it anyways.
I'll admit that I laughed at Horrible Bosses and I didn't hate the film but it really just doesn't have much to offer. I feel like this film could have been a lot better but due to its lack of creativity and the severe absence of originality this film has joined the ranks of all the forgettable comedies that we see so that we can laugh once or twice and then move on with our lives. It won't be long until I forget I ever saw Horrible Bosses and I certainly won't be talking about this one with my friends.