Horrible Bosses
Seth Gordon’s “Horrible Bosses” takes the satirical venom of Mike Judge’s cult classic, “Office Space,” one step further and actually contemplates the death of a truly despicable boss rather than just corporate sabotage. It took a while for Judge’s subtle comedy to catch on, but I don’t think “Horrible Bosses” will have that problem: Warner Bros. and New Line have been aggressive in their promotional campaign (and opening it in the highly competitive summer season helps). Also working in “Bosses’s” favor? It’s damn hilarious.
Fueling the funny in the screenplay by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan M. Goldstein are the lead performances by Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis as three friends who find themselves suffocated by real jackasses for bosses. For Bateman’s Nick, it’s Harken, played by Kevin Spacey in full-on “Swimming With Sharks” mode; for Day’s Dale (a dental assistant), it’s Julia, who’s constantly harassing Dale, and is played by Jennifer Aniston as a sexually overaggressive bitch that we’ve never really seen out of her before (it suits Aniston well); and for Sudeikis’s Kurt, it’s the repulsive Bobby (Colin Farrell, clearly inspired by “Tropic Thunder” Tom Cruise, and just as fun to watch), who has just taken over after Bobby’s father (Donald Sutherland) passes away, allowing Bobby to make Kurt’s long-happy work environment a living Hell. One day, the three decide the world would be better off without these three; hey, you would too when you see what Harken, Julia, and Bobby do to our hapless heroes.
I’ll let the film take it from there. Yes, the previews have already shown Jamie Foxx as the guy’s “murder consultant,” but I’d rather not give away the wickedly funny surprises that character has in store. The important thing to know is that “Horrible Bosses” delivers in ways that are unexpected and unrepentantly, subversively hysterical. The main three guys all have well-defined characteristics that play into their handling of this situation, and Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis make all of them lovable losers, while the bosses they’re looking to off are all worthy of such drastic measures (although like Nick and Kurt, it’s hard to feel TOO sorry for Dale– yes, Dale is engaged, but Aniston’s Julia could harass me anytime). It’s good to have all three actors playing the bosses in good acting form again after years of less-than-stellar performances (special kudos to Spacey; I’ve missed the wicked edges you gave us in “Sharks,” “Usual Suspects,” and “American Beauty”), and the battle of wills between the bosses and the subordinates they love to make squirm makes for a very hilarious mid-summer’s night out at the movies.
