As I said in my review for Bad Teacher, this summer has been undoubtedly dominated by the raunchy adult comedy genre, and perhaps one of the most eagerly anticipated entries was Horrible Bosses. Positioned in such a way as to be appealing to anyone who has ever had an employer that they’ve despised, the biggest buzz builder for Horrible Bosses was its ensemble cast. The presence of Hollywood veterans Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx was more than enough to draw a crowd, but additions like Jason Bateman and rising stars Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day were just icing on the cake. The two surprises were Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston; Farrell hasn’t been that prevalent in theaters for a while, and Aniston has been consistently hounded by the media concerning every film she makes or every relationship she pursues. As a fan of every member of this strong cast, my anticipation for Horrible Bosses was only enhanced by the tremendously positive buzz surrounding this newest comedy.
I had worried that my expectations for Horrible Bosses may have been a little too high, but I am glad to report that this comedy is one of the funniest films I have ever seen, rivaling other recent R-rated juggernauts like The Hangover or Bridesmaids. Other comedies take a while to build momentum and have funny scenes interspersed between a tamer narratives designed to develop other elements of the story, but in the case of Horrible Bosses, the film is completely hysterical from start-to-finish. Within the cast, the “bosses” shine as each actor fully embraces the abusive personas of their ludicrous characters, with Jennifer Aniston standing-out as the aggressively-sexy and manipulative Dr. Julie Harris. In terms of the abused employees, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day work incredibly well together, effectively dethroning Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis’ “Wolfpack” as the go-to comedy team. If you have ever been a disgruntled employee on any level, you will instantaneously empathize with the downtrodden protagonists and absolutely adore the ludicrous and hysterically dark comedy offered by Horrible Bosses.
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
