Horrible Bosses (15) 2011

Horrible Bosses

It’s official. Gross humour is in fashion. While The Hangover 1 put a toe in the water, Hangover 2 simply jumped right on in while in Bridesmaids, the girls threw off their costumes. Now we have Horrible Bosses, a modern day farce from Director Seth Gordon, jam-packed with bad taste. Horrible Bosses, is appalling; it is coarse, it is vulgar, it has Jennifer Anniston as a foul mouthed nymphomaniac; it is also very funny.

The concept is simple; we are required to sympathise with the plights of three friends, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeiki and Charlie Day, whose respective bosses, Kevin Spacey (bully), Colin Farrell (greedy) and Jennifer Anniston (nympho) are making their lives hell although the latter idea is somewhat difficult to grasp. Pushed to their breaking points, they hatch a cunning plan with the help of a “murder consultant” (Jaime Foxx) who goes by the pseudonym of MotherF***** Jones, preferable, in his line of business, to his real name of Dean Jones, the hero of Love Bug. The essence of this master plan is that each will murder the other friend’s boss in order to lay a false trail. Needless to say, the plan goes awry with the friends lurching from one crisis to the next.

Something clearly worked given that the movie recovered the majority of its costs ($35m) in its opening weekend ($28m). A heavy-hitting cast is part of the answer; Spacey convincingly psychopathic – “I own you… you’re my bitch” he viciously taunts Bateman denying his promotion – Anniston, persuasively slutty (but will she ever find a role that truly showcases her talent) and Farrell, replete with wig, surprisingly funny. “We need to cut some fat”, he demands of his company in between bouts of coke-sniffing and womanising, “let’s start with large Marge”.

While the humour is juvenile, it is quick, well delivered - Sudeikis’s sadistic revenge bringing a whole new dimension to DNA sampling – and politically incorrect from over frequent references to Day’s presence on the sex offenders list (for peeing in a schoolyard) to Farrell’s wish to fire his wheelchair-bound employee because he makes him feel “creepy”. Gordon manages this dilemma tongue firmly in cheek bringing order from chaos and yet encouraging the gags.

A new line in the sand has been drawn and for now, it’s far enough. Let us hope it stays where it is for just a little bit longer. Entertaining and amusing if unmemorable. 6/10

DM
August 2011