"Horrible Bosses" Doesn't Kill With Laughs, But Still Works

With a cast involving the Arrested Development star Jason Bateman, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's wild card Charlie Day, and SNL funny man Jason Sudeikis, what more could you ask for in the new comedy Horrible Bosses?  Well, you could ask for more laughs.  The movie certainly has a decent amount of them, but not as much as one would expect from such a hilarious trio.  There are enough to keep you chuckling along and an occasional laugh out loud moment here and there, but it would have been nice to see these comedians really push themselves.  Nevertheless, the characters are so appealing that one can easily be entertained throughout their ridiculous plan to kill their horrible bosses.
That's the premise.  Bateman's character Nick is abused by Harken, played by Kevin Spacey as one of the biggest a-holes I've ever seen on screen.  Charlie Day's newly engaged Dale is sexually harassed by an incredibly alluring Jennifer Aniston, sporting bangs and a new hair color (this situation doesn't seem so bad and Dale's buds let him know that multiple times).  Lastly, the somewhat sex addict character of Kurt, played by Sudeikis, has a new coke head tool of a boss, Colin Farrell with a hairpiece, that shows no respect for anyone.  The decision to kill them doesn't come easy at first, and neither does following through with the plan, but when they seek the help of a man named Motherf***er Jones, hilariously played by Jamie Foxx, things start to get crazy.
Things obviously go wrong, which allows the comedy to take place, and this permits Charlie Day to act like his Sunny character Charlie Kelly.  Thus, his performance is not much different from the way he behaves on the show, but that's what is so lovable about him.  He certainly deserves more time on the big screen.  Bateman is his usual self, which is always satisfying, but I'm looking forward to see him act like Ryan Reynolds in The Change-Up.  Sudeikis is funny as well, but not as raunchy as he was in Hall Pass.  That movie is nowhere near as good as Horrible Bosses, but transferring that degree of nastiness to this film would have added to the number of crackup moments.  As for the bosses, Spacey plays the perfect anti-christ that no one wants to deal with in the workplace, and Farrell is just as unbearable, but in a good way.  Jennifer Aniston is a great reason to see it too, considering the absurdly dirty words coming out of her mouth that prove she can play something other than a Rachel-like role.
Overall, Horrible Bosses is no original Hangover, but ten times better than the sequel.  It has enough laughs to maintain a smile on your face and the characters are what really keep you engrossed in the film.  Get your dose of comedy since the rest of this month seems action packed with Harry Potter and Captain America.