Should I be ashamed I saw Horrible Bosses this weekend? I mean, it’s not like I went to see Zookeeper or Bad Teacher, is it? Still, sometimes I feel I should be watching more “serious” cinema, or you won’t respect me any more. I shall try harder, I promise.
Horrible Bosses wasn’t a horrible movie (zing!), but it certainly could have been much, much funnier. I may have smiled a few times, but I cannot say I laughed out loud even once. The film is essentially “realistic” in form and the humour is surprisingly subdued and character-driven, rather than physical or even (too) verbal. That’s admirable in a way, yet it makes Horrible Bosses tame and frankly not that funny. Add 10% more pratfalls and 10% more actual jokes, and they might have had something. And no, that something wouldn’t be Zookeeper. I hope.
I’m not saying there is no humour in Horrible Bosses: there is, and some of it is even rather smart in its own way. For instance, the protagonists discuss sexual predator Julia’s exhibitionist “meal” of a popsicle, banana, and hot dog: they agree that consuming 3 penis-shaped foods in an unorthodox order (dessert first) was probably meant to seduce the watching Kurt, rather than being her normal evening repast. Dale’s unwilling cellphone-sex session with Julia (while he and his friends are involved in a high-speed car chase) is also amusing: despite his obvious distraction, Dale frantically tries to fulfill her request to talk “dirty,” saying (among other things) “I’m going to dance on your boobies!” There’s more of this sort of wit (plus a fair amount of movie references) and it’s welcome, but none of it had the audience guffawing in an unbridled manner.
Memo to scripters: profanity is not inherently funny in every single instance. It can be laugh-provoking in the proper context, but “string of profanities” =/= “joke.” I’m not complaining that Horrible Bosses has too many bad words, I’m simply saying I don’t laugh every time someone drops an f-bomb.
Speaking of language, for all the comments about the resurgence of “R-rated comedy films” in the wake of The Hangover, Horrible Bosses appears to have received its rating for nothing but profanity. There is no nudity, no graphic violence, only minor comedic drug use, evil doesn’t triumph … basically, replace the four-letter words with euphemisms and this would pass for PG-13 any day. The producers probably wouldn’t have wanted that, however (it reminds me of a scene in the parodic slasher-film Student Bodies: a movie executive says R-rated horror films earn more, so he deliberately utters the f-word to get the more restrictive rating): The Hangover and The Hangover II were big hits and they were rated “R,” so Horrible Bosses must also be rated “R!” Let the cursing commence!
There are other obvious connections to The Hangover, not the least of which is the trio of protagonists composed of one “normal” guy (Jason Bateman = Ed Helms), one sleazy-but-handsome guy (Jason Sudeikis = Bradley Cooper) and one bearded, wacky guy (Charlie Day = Zach Galifianakis). To give them their due, though they all pale in comparison with their Hangover models, the Three Horrible Bosses Stooges do what they can with the tame script and manage to earn a few smiles. Charlie Day, of course, with his cartoonish voice and dim-witted demeanour, steals most of the spotlight. Perhaps not coincidentally, he’s the only one of the three given much of a backstory and whose “outside” life (with his fiancee) is glimpsed at all; otherwise, this is a movie about three friends whose life seems to center around their jobs and post-work drinking with each other.
The eponymous horrible bosses, played by Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, and Colin Farrell, are more eccentric and entertaining than the protagonists, though Farrell in particular seems to have lost a battle with the film editor and appears relatively briefly (footage from at least one deleted scene is visible in the Hangover-like out-takes at the movie’s end). Villains are often more interesting than heroes, methinks, and I’d bet many actors relish the chance to play evil characters. Donald Sutherland has a nice cameo (ironic, since Jason Sudeikis at times strongly resembles Keifer Sutherland), Jamie Foxx is fine, and I was personally pleased to see Lindsay Sloane, the object of a longtime Dave-crush, in a supporting role.
Plot synopsis time: Kurt’s kindly boss dies, leaving his obnoxious, drug-taking son in charge of the factory; dental hygienist Dale is sexually-harassed by his supervisor Dr. Julia, though he’s engaged and doesn’t want to cheat on his fiancee; Nick is denied a promotion by his exploitative, manipulative employer, who says he’ll blacken Nick’s reputation if he tries to find another job. The three men decide to kill each other’s bosses, but their ill-conceived and ineptly-executed attempts go awry.
Horrible Bosses is slickly made and mildly amusing, with reasonably likeable characters (except for the bad guys, who are suitably unlikeable). The time passes painlessly for the most part. Could it have been better? Of course. A dull knife still cuts the steak, but put an edge on it, and your dining experience improves. That’s my analogy and I’m sticking to it.
