More or less a series of sketches built into an unbelievable storyline, funny enough though.

Rating: 7/10 (10 October 2011)

Horrible Bosses(2011) The next big comedy coming out of Hollywood. The story is as simple as absurd and this works well within the genre. It creates great situational comedy, the main characters are simply victims of the script and because of coincidence and stupidity find themselves in some hilarious situations. Three friends with something in common, their bosses are evil monsters. They have to die, and deserve it.
Jason Bateman plays Nick, he doesn't really agree with killing the bosses but is dragged along anyway. He seems a bit cold and distant, hard for the audience to really connect. There isn't any background on his family life. He spent eight years kissing his boss' ass, not the best quality in a human being. Charlie Day plays Dale. He basically recreates his character from 'It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia', which is a neurotic, fast talking, hyped up guy. He is devoted to his fiancée but has to cope with the sexual advances of his boss. Jason Sudeikis plays Kurt, a confusing character. In the beginning of the movie we see him as a typical nice guy who is friendly with his buddy, the boss (he dies, after which his horrible son takes over the company), cares about the environment and co-workers. During the course of the movie he changes into a rather unbelievable womanizer who picks up women sweettalking them with lines like 'you have to be a model'. Not the best pickup line but hey, when so attractive as Sudeikis it's easy right? They are convincing as friends though and play off each other very well.
The real strength of the movie however lies in the supporting cast. The bosses are all greatly done. Kevin Spacey plays the role he is made for (remeniscent of his character in Swimming with Sharks). An egocentric, narcissistic, self centered, manipulative asshole. He seems to be really enjoying himself here, top class. Colin Farrel is very funny as the egocentric kung-fu minded, coke-head who cares about nothing but his desire to party. A bit of a shame he didn't get much screen time. His funniest bit was in the closing credits, a missed opportunity. Jennifer Aniston is considered to be an American Sweetheart, I believe. Here she plays the complete opposite. A sex crazed single hot dentist who goes the distance to get Charlie Days character to have sex with her. She says the exact things that you wouldn't expect from 'the sweet princess', it works well. Jamie Foxx as the murder adviser is a flat black gangster parody at first. It turns out he tricks the three friends in a good way. The 'most likely to succeed guy', who first was a broker at Lehman Brothers who had it made, fell down so low that he'd perform hand-jobs for a couple of bucks is absurd and very funny.
The twists in the story are nothing special and the ending is a bit forced, the story relies on coincidence. The strength lies in absurd situations which will almost never occur in real life. It's more or less a series of sketches built into an unbelievable storyline, funny enough though. 7/10