For most people, bosses can be evil. There’s nothing worse than working all day long at a soul-crushing job and get absolutely no respect from the boss. Hell, he even gets a better parking space. Even more so, cinematic bosses are universally despised. Take a look at Bill Lundberg, the most heinous of them all. He makes you realize that as bad as he is as a fictional character, bad bosses do exist. The idea of getting back at that bad bastard of a boss isn’t entirely a new concept, it was done previously in the film 9 to 5. But it’s 2011 and now we have to get with the times..kidnapping your jackass boss isn’t as powerful as killing him and that’s what our three schlubs decide to do in our newest little adventure. Nick Hendricks hates his boss. He’s the first guy to work and the last one to leave. He even worked so much he missed saying good-bye to his “Gam-Gam.” But he’s two minutes late for work and he’s in trouble, big time. After being guilted into drinking scotch and getting passed over for a senior VP position that he believes he’s been due for, for quite some time. Nick’s had it.

Dale Arbus loves his wife. He loves his fiancée and that all he needs. Except that his boss has been sexually harassing him so much that he’s practically beginning to chafe. After to trying to molest him over his wife’s unconscious body and blackmailing him with sexually explicit pictures of him and her while HE was comatose, Dale’s had it.

Kurt Buckman works for the kindest, sweetest old man at Pellitt Chemicals. Except his son is a horrible human being. He’s a coked-karate obsessed sycophant who tries cutting corners by dumping chemicals on people’s land and trying to fire the handicapped guy and the fat (pregnant) lady. Kurt’s had it.

Horrible Bosses breezes along very quickly at a fast and furious pace. It never lets up on the laughs and while it doesn’t sink into the deep depths of dark comedies like Very Bad Things, it has it’s moments of darkness. There is a very shocking murder about halfway through the movie that really serves as more of a “Oh My God!” moment than anything. The introductions to each of their bosses and the whipping boys that serve underneath them quickly sets up the movie so that we’re able to settle in and just empathize right along with our heroes. There are several pop culture references throughout the feature like the fact that Dale confuses “Strangers on A Train” as “that Danny DeVito movie” and Jamie Foxx’s subtlety named Motherf****er Jones. His real name? Dean. “You think I can walk around with that Disney ass name?” Great stuff.

The three leads have a great rapport with each other and while Jason Bateman and Charlie Day have the same performances as they do on Arrested Development and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, respectively, Jason Sudeikis has perfected the douchebaggy but absolutely easy to rely on friend. As for the bosses, Kevin Spacey easily sinks into the role of a raving, psycho without actually raving. He’s low-key and scary but a complete jerk. You need to think back to his bad boss in Swimming With Sharks. Colin Farrell is almost unrecognizable as Bobby Pellitt, maybe it’s because we haven’t seen him on screen in quite a while or maybe it’s because he’s emulating Billy Mitchell, the legendary jerk from Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon’s “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.” And Jennifer Aniston, wow man, never before have I had such morbid glee at seeing her utter so many offensively sexual things..and boy, does she ooze sex appeal in this role. I mean, jaw droppingly amazing. You’ve never seen Farrell and Aniston lose themselves in roles like these and they plummet head first into the roles without a care in the world.

This must have been a fun film to make and it shows big time.


Jason Bateman: Nick Hendricks
Charlie Day: Dale Arbus
Jason Sudeikis: Kurt Buckman
Kevin Spacey: Dave Harken
Jennifer Aniston: Dr. Julia Harris, DDS
Colin Farrell: Bobby Pellitt
Runtime: 100 minutes
Released by Warner Brothers

Nathan Smith gives Horrible Bosses an A.

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