|
Horrible Bosses
| Released |
22 July 2011 |
| Director |
Seth Gordon |
Starring
|
Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Donald Sutherland, Julie Bowen |
Writer(s)
|
Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein |
| Producer(s) |
Brett Ratner, Jay Stern |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
98 minutes |
| Genre |
Comedy |
| Rating |
15A |
|
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You're hired.
I make no qualms with the fact that I am a difficult person to please when it comes to comedies. There are so many different varieties of humour that it is often tricky to acquire the perfect balance. While Seth Gordon's Horrible Bosses is not going to rank among the hierarchy of my top comedy films, it should go down well as a mid-summer treat hidden behind all the more mainstream blockbusters.
With a title like Horrible Bosses it doesn't take much imagination to figure out the premise of the story. Three regular guys (Bateman, Sudeikis, Day) in dead-end jobs go through their own versions of torture each day at work because of their uniquely insane bosses (Spacey, Farrell, Aniston). With the help of ex-con Jamie Foxx, the trio decide it is time to permanently get rid of their nemeses in an effort to make their lives that little bit happier.
It is easy to imagine what then follows. Poorly orchestrated plans, run-ins with the law, hitmen, guns and car chases are the norm ensuring an uneasy ride for all. The content of the jokes are vulgar and of a sexual nature throughout which works to an extent but tends to be a tad laborious at times, offering an uneven splattering of genuine laughs and sarcastic ones.
A significant portion of that may be attributable to the cast who run hot and cold from start to finish. Indeed, if the conviction of the three bosses had been shared by the main protagonists some of the poorly timed one-liners could have been delivered with more pizzazz. Farrell, in particular, performed his role as a coke-head hilariously and it was a crying shame his character was not utilised further.
However, despite all of that Horrible Bosses is a genuinely decent movie that offers enough memorable moments and even the odd belly laugh to make a trip to the cinema definitely worthwhile.
-
David Caulfield |
