There's almost a twisted, wacky Coen Brothers thing going on at the heart of Horrible Bosses. The basic premise, three friends decide to kill off their bosses in order to make their own lives easier, isn't that far off from some of the grittier Coen works. That's about where the similarities end, though, as Horrible Bosses is another in strong line of R-rated comedies we've seen this year, and with it's terrific, unashamed cast it may be the funniest we've seen not named Bridesmaids
.
Bosses suck. Even the good ones. Nobody likes to be told what to do, even in a nice way. For the guys of Horrible Bosses, there's no such thing as being "asked nicely". Jason Bateman brings his fine tuned Arrested Development 
schtick to the role of Nick, an executive cursed with a demon of a boss(Kevin Spacey, in Swimming with Sharks
territory) who takes Machiavellian headgames to a whole new twisted level. He tricks Nick into getting drunk at work, then uses it as an excuse to pass him over for promotion. Douche! Kurt(Jason Sudeikis) sees the company he's worked for and loved for years on the verge of collapse thanks to a sniveling, spoiled coke head(Colin Farrell) who inherits it. By comparison, the woes of dental hygienist Dale(Charlie Day) don't seem all that bad. Sure he's engaged, and the sexual predatory advances of his boss(Jennifer Aniston) may be uncomfortable but....it's Jennifer Aniston and she's hot so you should just take it!!! If she wants to spank you on occasion, suck it up and take one for the team.Unlike too many comedies that are too obsessed with just being raunchy, there are some actual twists and turns to be found. The guys can't simply quit their jobs. Have you seen the career market out there? It's a snake pit! Murder appears to be the only way out, and with the aid of a dubious "murder consultant"(Jamie Foxx) they concoct a half baked scheme to put each other's bosses six feet under. How do you think it goes? Better than you think, but not without a few bumps and a few flaws in their Law & Order logic.
Horrible Bosses is a ridiculous film, but I think the script by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley makes that pretty clear from the start. What they do well, besides cramming in a ton of jokes that mostly hit home, is keep the pace moving briskly. The outcome is never certain, and there are some serious stakes involved that grow wildly out of control for our three "heroes". There's no doubt that chaos will reign in the final moments. A film like this almost demands a messy collision where everything that can go wrong does, all at the same time. Seth Gordon, who followed up his great video game doc A Fistful of Quarters with the holiday turkey Four Christmases, still lacks a clear visual style, but he manages the comic bits well.
He has a lot of help thanks to a cast that appears to have zero shame at all. Bateman can(and has been) playing this role in his sleep for years. The suddenly very popular Charlie Day(Going the Distance
) is the token idiot, but there's something about his squeaky voice and childlike demeanor that makes his routine fresh. The real draw are the bosses, and I'll say this now: Jennifer Aniston has never been sexier. In the same way Cameron Diaz was so hot cursing like a sailor in Bad Teacher, Aniston does the same with her filthy, oversexed demands. It could have been overdone, making her act too much a focus of the story, but she's honestly not on screen enough for her bit to ever get tired. I could stand to watch her peel a few more bananas, eat a few more hot dogs. Kevin Spacey is as devious and conniving as ever. He's basically Lex Luthor, CEO and professional jerkoff.
Although I wish Jamie Foxx would branch out into more signifcant roles again, every single time he's on screen in this movie is pure gold. His "murder consultant" is so screwed up, I can't even tell you his name. His is probably the toughest role and probably the most divisive. To a lot of people it's going to be seen as a blatant stereotype character, and that's probably true to some extent. But Foxx throws himself so completely into it without fear that it's just hilarious. Even the way he sips his drinks will have you crying.This couldnt' be a more perfect time for a movie like this. With the economic climate the way it is, and people trapped in jobs they don't love for fear of being unemployed forever, we all could do with a little wish fulfillment, and that's exactly what Horrible Bosses is more than happy to provide.
