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One
of my favorite
comedies of all time
involves work place
humor. Three friends
hatch a plan to
commit a crime and
in the process they
realize that they
don’t want to commit
the crime and grow
as people.
Eventually things
come to fruition but
right before the
crap hits the fan
somebody unplugs it
and only a small
mess is made. That
movie stars Jennifer
Aniston. It’s not
Horrible Bosses,
its
Office Space.
Horrible Bosses
is basically a
darker version of
Office Space
with a Hitchcock
twist and several
dirty jokes. Jason
Bateman, Jason
Sudeikis, and
Charlie Day are the
three friends in
this instance and
they make the movie
an enjoyable affair
to get through.
Dale
(Day), Kurt
(Sudeikis), and Nick
(Bateman) are
working stiffs.
They’ve got
different jobs and
different lives and
they come from three
completely different
places in their
lives. Nick works at
a corporate office
and he’s trying to
climb the ladder
despite an awful
human being Dave
Harken (Kevin
Spacey) keeping him
from doing so. Kurt
works in the
industrial field at
a chemical plant and
he works for a great
bass and a father
figure in Jack
Pellit (Donald
Sutherland), but
when Jack dies, his
cokehead son Bobby
(Colin Farrell)
takes over and Kurt
is stuck in an awful
job trying to keep
the building from
burning down. Dale
works in the
healthcare field…err
sort of… he’s a
dental assistant.
He’s soon to be
married to his
girlfriend and all
is right with his
world except one
thing… his boss
Julia is constantly
sexually harassing
him. She’s an
apparent
nymphomaniac and she
continues to put
Dale in rough spot
after rough spot.
All three friends’
lives suck and they
have a desire to
make it better, so
they hatch a
crackpot scheme
Hitchcock style to
kill each other’s
bosses. It’s like
Office Space,
without the office
and murder.
Horrible Bosses
works because Jason
Bateman, Jason
Sudeikis, and
Charlie Day are
awesome and
believable as
friends. They have
camaraderie on
screen that’s hard
to ignore and it
makes you root for
them individually
and part of the
group. The chemistry
between those three
is hilarious and the
simplest of things
done between them
turn out to be
comical. It’s true
that the several
moments where Colin
Farrell, Kevin
Spacey, and Jennifer
Aniston have to be
over-the-top are
hilarious. But for
five minutes of the
big stars having to
be over-the-top,
there’s subtle but
funny comedy between
the three main
characters. Combine
all of the acting
power here, a
terrific job by
director Seth
Gordon, and a
sharply written
script and you’ve
got one of the
better comedies of
2011.
Extras on this set
are plentiful. There
are two different
versions of the film
to watch, a
theatrical cut and
an extended cut. On
the theatrical cut
disc all of the
extras are present.
There are quite a
few good extras too
including tips and
stories on bosses
from Day, Bateman,
and Sudeikis and a
character
development
featurette with
Aniston, Spacey, and
Farrell. There’s
also an awesome
soundtrack feature
with Pearl Jam and
the Beastie Boys.
Horrible Bosses
is a dark comedy
that’s wickedly
funny. It’s sharp
and there are
several
side-splitting
moments. This is an
easy pickup for any
comedy fan. Acting,
writing, and
directing are all
spot-on. It’s not
iconic like
Office Space
despite its casual
similarities but it
does offer a bit
more bite.
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