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| Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis and Jason Bateman pla victims of horrible bosses. |
The unforgettable Hangover has somehow set a precedent for the kind of comedy that uses character and personality for its humor, making use of the dynamics between a group of your standard American male buddies, the coarse interaction and exchanges between them, especially when they are put in a predicament. This is the sort of comedy we revere: wit over slapstick; exchange of dialogue meant to elicit gut laughter. Hot Tub Time Machine, one of the Hangover copy-cats, for example, failed miserably in this genre, desperately attempted to hit the Hangover mark--or even surpass it--but ended up a sad comedy, a cheap imitation of the real thing.
So what about Horrible Bosses? This time we are presented with only three friends, basically three good, sort of foolish, white guys, whose distinct personalities and dynamics we will rely on until the end of the movie: the serious, deadpan Nick (Jason Bateman); the small and whiny Dale (Charlie Day); and the cool and slightly smug Kurt (Jason Sudeikis). The predicament? Each has a horrible boss that, initially, they hypothetically wanted to murder-- until it has developed into a real, concrete plan.
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| Jennifer Aniston plays a sexual molester. |
Nick's boss is a suave, sneering, cold and mean-spirited Kevin Spacey, imprisoning Nick into a life of hell; Dale's is a hot nymphomaniac, dirty-mouthed Jennifer Aniston who is constantly sexually harassing him (which should be every male's fantasy except for the monogamous Dale); and Kurt's employer is a balding cokehead idiot played by Colin Farrell. The guys pay the services of a random black guy, Academy-Award winner Jamie Foxx (whose name in the movie you gotta find out for yourselves), to fulfill their desire to wipe their bosses off the face of the earth.
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| Kevin Spacey gives a superb performance as Bateman's evil boss. |
So is the movie funny? It is! It carries you towards the end of the movie. But is it thigh-slapping hilarious? Does it evoke lingering laughter, the kind that even when the scene is already over, you are still laughing? Uh....not really. There are absolutely some guffaw-inducing scenes and you will definitely hear yourself laughing-- but the punchlines never seem to hit squarely on the center of your gut (some are even discriminating). And it's self-conscious, the scenes screaming, "I am a movie that is so damn funny, aren't I?!?!" like an aggressive, desperate performer, only capable of eliciting a collective chortle and sparse howls of laughter from those who laugh easily.
The guys are likable enough, but Day's high-pitched exaggerated onscreen persona has become tiring halfway into the movie, his whiny voice like nails on a blackboard. The boss characters are extreme, too unrealistic to be appreciated-- except Kevin Spacey who is stupendous (as always). Also, there are too many sexual content and vulgar language that the movie should be stamped a good R rather than a surprising PG-13.
Horrible Bosses is funny and entertaining. Never boring. Unpredictable punchlines, yeah. But no sidesplitting laughter. Just some good-natured LOLs.
7/10 stars
Showing in Philippine cinemas on September 21, 2011From my PinoyExchange post
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