Movie review: Horrible Bosses

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Comedy

​Opens locally Friday, July 8th, 2011 

Run Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes (Rated R)

Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx

Directed by Seth Gordon (The King of Kong, Four Christmases)

​On paper, I would imagine that "Horrible Bosses" looked like a comedy masterpiece...a relatable subject (who doesn't hate their boss, or has at one point in their careers?) led by a talented cast of well-known faces. And although it falls short of a future "comedy classic," it is a cheese-tastic, rip-roaring raunch of a good time.

Three friends...Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day...are in miserable spots at work (well, arguably...), all in situations with horrible bosses, played by Spacey, Farrell and Aniston, respectively. Jason Bateman is your typical kiss-ass, trying to climb the corporate ladder but being held back by his cocky A-hole of a boss, Kevin Spacey. Jason Sudeikis was a golden child at his job, until his boss passes unexpectedly, leaving the business to his son, the world's biggest douche-bag, played by Colin Farrell. Charlie Day is a dental assistant, engaged to be married, and the kind of guy who would never stray, watches Law & Order religiously, and in his spare time pops in and cries to "The Notebook." He finds himself sexually harrassed on a daily basis by the lead doctor, a horny, loose-lipped old cougar played by Jennifer Aniston.

As things worsen for each character, they all decide to kill each other's bosses. Now normally, this would seem a bit drastic and over-the-top, but over-the-top is the flavor of the day in "Horrible Bosses." As you can guess in an R-rated comedy such as this, things don't necessarily go as planned.

Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day all basically play the same character that they are used to. Bateman has that amazing deadpan delivery, and superb comedic timing that made "Arrested Development" one of the greatest TV shows in history. Sudeikis, the still-current SNL cast member, plays perfectly the horn-ball guy's guy, as he did much worse in the recent film "Hall Pass." And oh, Charlie Day. If you don't recognize Charlie, you soon will, as this guy is pure comedy gold waiting to explode onto the Hollywood A-list. He's appeared in a few films, but is known by-and-large as his role as "Charlie" on FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," a show that you should be watching if you aren't already.

​The mix of all three of these actor's styles works brilliantly in the film and leads to what I'm guessing was a massive amount of ad-libbing.

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