Film Review - Horrible Bosses

This is a tricky review, and likely to be short. For all that I'm no fan of these modern mainstream comedies, which are absurd and irevererant in a restrained and stylish way, I'm willing to admit that they are not a bad way to spend an evening. Horrible Bosses, which is about as by-the-numbers as you can find, is nonetheless
entertaining and amusing.

We all hate our bosses right (my boss is alright actually)? And for our three protagonists are no different - they are, in fact, rather more pronounced. Nick can't stand up to his mocking and overbearing boss played by the ever intimidating Kevin Spacey; Dale is a man who is happy in love and engaged to marry, yet having to try and stave off the sexual advances of his boss; Kurt was the boss's left hand man and set to take over before an accident left the man's cokehead son in charge. Together they decide that their bosses have to die.

The script isn't particularly strong, but the performances and direction makes the film easy and funny to watch. You'll have a hard time taking anything memorable about this, and it's the bosses that'll be the ones that stand out strongest. Kevin Spacey is more or less the centre piece of the film, bringing dark sensibilities and an intimidatingly funny performance. Colin Farrell demonstrates a funniness in the credit scenes to suggest he was underused. Jennifer Aniston's manipulative and nymphomanic presence is also a well judged balanced between villainy and comedy. With Jamie Foxx making an entertaining appearance as "Motherfucker" Jones, it seems that there is far more fun to be had with the secondary characters. Often I'd have a hard time even physically telling the main cast apart, being made up of the predictable white, American, men in who are stuck between being somewhere young and middle aged.

It's not a great movie, it's not a bad movie. It is, however, a reasonably funny movie. Not much to be lost nor gained.