Horrible Bosses

In this black comedy from director Seth Gordon ("Four Christmases"), three friends are driven to madness by their bullying bosses who cross every line imaginable.  Nick's (Jason Bateman) manager is an insane tyrant who works him to the bone while holding an elusive promotion over his head.  Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) loves his job... until the company's benevolent owner passes away and leaves his cokehead son in charge.  Then there's Dale (Charlie Day), a dental assistant who can't work anywhere else because of an unfortunate incident that branded him a sex offender, so he's forced to put up with his employer's incessant sexual advances.  Given the poor economy, Nick, Kurt, and Dale decide it may be easier to kill their bosses rather than start over again at other jobs.  But as they attempt to execute their scheme and their respective superiors, things start to go haywire and the friends realize that their half-baked plans could land them in prison.  It's been awhile since I can remember a film this dark and raunchy be this hysterical.  The story hooks you right from the get-go as the so-called horrible bosses are introduced: first, we meet Nick's boss, played by a superbly despicable Kevin Spacey, who Nick succinctly and hilariously describes as a Total Fucking Asshole (with those 3 words emblazoned on the screen in all caps).  It's from that early scene that you know you're in for something good.  Likewise, Colin Farrell - in a prosthetic gut and bald head rendering him almost unrecognizable - plays an equally detestable human being, with a proclivity for drugs, prostitutes, and karate.  But I was most delightfully surprised by Jennifer Aniston, who was clearly relishing her role as Dale's dirty dentist boss.  The things that came out of this lady's mouth were shocking, and I couldn't help but look forward to the next time she was on screen to hear what crazy thing she would say next.  The movie's premise is decidedly silly, but ultimately it's just a device to get these characters into absurdly laugh-inducing situations.  Perhaps in less capable actors' hands, the bosses would come off as too over-the-top to be enjoyable, but as played by Spacey, Farrell, and Aniston, I just couldn't get enough of these wackjobs.  Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day garner plenty of hearty chuckles, too, but the show truly belongs to the villains and these guys are just along for the crazy ride.  We've all at some point fantasized about terrible misfortunes befalling our own awful managers, and this movie allows us to vicariously experience our darkest fantasies played out on screen.  And when "Horrible Bosses" finally serves up its comeuppance, it's deliciously satisfying.

4 out of 5 stars