Synopsis
For Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day), the only thing that would make the daily grind more tolerable would be to grind their intolerable bosses into dust. Quitting is not an option, so, with the benefit of a few too many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling ex-con, the three friends devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers…permanently. There’s only one problem: even the best-laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them.
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Horrible Bosses is a fun film, though simple. The idea of three friends who are plotting to kill their bosses because their bosses are the worst people in the world is very believable. What makes this film work, and stay away from the tag ‘dark comedy’, is that the three different bosses have incredibly different sets of issues. Also, each employee compliments their bosses’ horrible issues perfectly. For example, Dale (Charlie Day) is first introduced as this loving, innocent guy just trying to make a living and support his soon to be sweet wife. He’s cute, happy and he avoids trouble at all cost. He’s the complete opposite of his boss, Julia (Jennifer Aniston), who is a sex-crazed bitch threatening to ruin Dale’s marriage plans if he refuses to sleep with her. The elements that make each character who they are seem to work perfectly off of each other, which makes the situation even worse than it probably is, and a helluva lot funnier. That’s the real key to this movie, opposites playing off each other. You’ve got Bateman’s Nick who works hard, but has to work for a boss that pretty much constantly enjoys crushing his dreams of promotion. Sudeikis’ Kurt is a good guy that loves his boss, but when his boss dies and his boss’ son takes over everything is less than lovey (especially when his new boss is coked up and paranoid). Again, opposites playing perfectly off each other makes this film work well.
With that said, when all three friends decide to do the ‘deed’ of getting rid of each others boss (so they can’t be tracked down by the police due to a motive) you will fully understand why these bosses must go, as each character has been backed into a corner by their horrible bosses. You’re rooting for the bosses to be knocked off. You’ll be stoked to see how how each situation is played out. It is at this point where the movie starts falling apart a bit.
Writers Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein seem to have put together the perfect setup with the three stories, but when it comes to ‘go time’ the setup begins to become a little shallow. All of this tension is created with the guys trying to figure out the best way to kill their bosses and the final solution ends up being anti-climactic. Don’t get me wrong, the comedy of getting there is thick and well-played, but what that comedy adds to the story is pretty shallow at best. I don’t want to give any details away of how the movie unfolds, but it doesn’t play out how you would think. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but it certainly could have concluded much better than it did. Again, the comedy is there, but the overall solution to the three problems at hand doesn’t quite live up to the expectations created during the beginning of the film. I have to venture a guess and say that’s probably what bothered some critics about this movie. It had this great beginning, but a very disconnected ending. Now, it’s certainly not a total disaster, but it could have ended a lot better than it did.
You should definitely check out Horrible Bosses, as the comedy of the film lives up to the billing. Just don’t expect too much of a bang at the end.
Shifting gears just slightly, the Blu-ray portion of this film, much like all Warner Home Video theatrical releases, is pretty damn sharp. There are no issues with graininess, artifacts or with color banding. You get a very clean, crisp, sharp picture that will make you happy that you own a Blu-ray player. You will be especially thrilled when you see how great Jennifer Aniston looks in HD. You will be thrilled (she is a fine wine). Anyway, having said that, the movie does shine on the Blu-ray format when it comes to visuals. Warner Home Video has a real knack for making their films look good in HD and the tradition certainly does continue with Horrible Bosses.
As for special features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– My Least Favorite Career
– Surviving A Horrible Boss
– Being Mean Is So Much Fun
– Deleted Scenes
– Making of the Horrible Bosses soundtrack
– UltraViolet Digital Copy (Instant Streaming)
– Extended Cut Feature Film (8 minutes of new footage)
– Theatrical Cut Feature Film
These features really compliment the film. The Least Favorite Career and Surviving a Horrible Boss features are pretty hilarious. The deleted scenes are good, some I wish had made it into the film, and the making of the soundtrack is amusing. I like the fact that they included multiple versions of the film, and I find the ‘UltraViolet Digital Copy’ option actually quite pleasing, as it makes complete sense on why you would do instant streaming. Overall, very solid special features and extras.
Buy It 10/11 on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack with UltraViolet Digital Copy or Download to Own http://bit.ly/qSyGzM
