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Horrible Bosses - If there's one genre that I'm really getting sick of, it's the R-rated Summer comedy. Four years ago, when Judd Apatow led the revival, it was generally a pretty high stock sub-genre. But lately, I've really had my fill of these bloated, over-long messes that think that stuffing as many dick, p***** , and s**** jokes can make the film remarkable.
I came into Seth Gordon's first feature foray into the R-rated world with a bit of trepidation. I haven't been a Jason Bateman fan since the end of Arrested Development, and I'm still not a believer in Jason Sudeikis as someone I want to watch for 2 hours. But, I was pleasantly surprised with a film that really tried to use it's cast to perfection and actually made some actually clever juvenile jokes.
The film works on a few levels. While some think Charlie Day is just a re-branded Bobcat Goldthwait, I think he's a strong comic force in today's scene, and he brings some solid funny to this film. Jamie Foxx should remind all of us that he can be a good part of any movie when he isn't taking himself too seriously, and his character here is used to pretty great effect. As I sort of hinted at earlier, Bateman and Sudeikis aren't great here, but they definitely aren't as mediocre as they've been recently. Both get some pretty good material at times, and they don't drop the ball in any particular sense. Bateman in particular is allowed to do some funny bits without having to be just an average straight man, and he does it well.
The three evil bosses are pretty good here, although I think the film could have been stronger if Gordan had given them more scenes - this is strongly hinted at especially with Farrell's character in the outtakes. They're just over-the-top enough and bat- insane to be both suitable targets for a silly murder plot, but they're so zany you don't really want to see them dead. But most of all, all three actors (particularly Aniston in her sex-depraved mode) are having a great deal of fun, and the audience can't really help but smile.
All in all, it was an enjoyable movie that is of the joke-a-minute variety. Like most average comedies of this ilk, some jokes work and probably just as many don't. But, the difference is that the characters are pretty likeable, and the immature humor is often times pretty funny. So while I'm still waiting for a true second wind from the R-Rated Comedy beast, I can definitely accept this fare without complaint.
3.5/5
I came into Seth Gordon's first feature foray into the R-rated world with a bit of trepidation. I haven't been a Jason Bateman fan since the end of Arrested Development, and I'm still not a believer in Jason Sudeikis as someone I want to watch for 2 hours. But, I was pleasantly surprised with a film that really tried to use it's cast to perfection and actually made some actually clever juvenile jokes.
The film works on a few levels. While some think Charlie Day is just a re-branded Bobcat Goldthwait, I think he's a strong comic force in today's scene, and he brings some solid funny to this film. Jamie Foxx should remind all of us that he can be a good part of any movie when he isn't taking himself too seriously, and his character here is used to pretty great effect. As I sort of hinted at earlier, Bateman and Sudeikis aren't great here, but they definitely aren't as mediocre as they've been recently. Both get some pretty good material at times, and they don't drop the ball in any particular sense. Bateman in particular is allowed to do some funny bits without having to be just an average straight man, and he does it well.
The three evil bosses are pretty good here, although I think the film could have been stronger if Gordan had given them more scenes - this is strongly hinted at especially with Farrell's character in the outtakes. They're just over-the-top enough and bat- insane to be both suitable targets for a silly murder plot, but they're so zany you don't really want to see them dead. But most of all, all three actors (particularly Aniston in her sex-depraved mode) are having a great deal of fun, and the audience can't really help but smile.
All in all, it was an enjoyable movie that is of the joke-a-minute variety. Like most average comedies of this ilk, some jokes work and probably just as many don't. But, the difference is that the characters are pretty likeable, and the immature humor is often times pretty funny. So while I'm still waiting for a true second wind from the R-Rated Comedy beast, I can definitely accept this fare without complaint.
3.5/5