Sometimes, chaos and craziness works. And in this particular comedy, it makes the difference. The premise of the "Horrible Bosses" is suggesting and funny. Three regular workers that everyday suffer the actions and attitudes of their monstrous bosses until they decide they had enough and want them dead. What comes next is their hilarious adventures in order to achieve that goal.This movie works for several reasons. One is its rawness and moments of pure madness, with a refreshing amount of dark jokes and twists. Another one is the fun plot, with an unpredictable and eccentric screenplay, with a slight thriller approach, that allows actor having their moments of glory without losing its dynamic, quick pace. And of course, from the very start, the film doesn't take itself seriously, so there are no "ethic conflicts" or a moral end, just a great entertainment, which is refreshing and results in a film without slumps.
A separate reference has to be made for the cast, the major factor "Horrible Bosses" is so enjoyable. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day (both unknown until yesterday for me), are as funny as surrealistically credible. Day in particular provides, with his whiny voice and his one liners, the most amount of laughs and absurd situations. The same can be said about the "horrible" bosses. Kevin Spacey stands out in his impersonation of the cruel villain that presides the company where Bateman's work, while Jennifer Aniston is surprisingly good at her role of sexy but demented maneater dentist. Colin Farrell is also great in his grotesque role, but I had the impression his character deserved more scenes and is underused, without fulfilling its potential.
Unfortunately, the film has several moments where director Seth Gordon slightly loses the tone, with some raunchy, scatological, profane or just forced scenes. That's probably the risk of the slapstick style the film acquires as it evolves into no-hold-barriers adventure. My feeling is that these scenes are a bit out of place. They are forgettable considering the whole movie, thanks to the aforementioned dynamism and freshness, but they certainly lessen the value or the merits of "Horrible Bosses".
Therefore, if you are looking for a film in the vein of "The Hangover", something to provide plenty of laughs without making you feel stupid. Or if you want to watch a light comedy with a different, sardonic, sense of humour, "Horrible Bosses" is an excellent choice. Won't be in a best-of-the-year list, but is a great entertainment, and let's admit it, a guilty pleasure. Not because of the topic of course, I'm very lucky to say my boss is a saint and a friend.
SCORE: 6,5/10
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