The Task: Watch and write about every movie on my shelf, in order (Blu-rays are sorted after DVDs), by June 10, 2015. Remaining movies: 54 Days to go: 38
Movie #386: Horrible Bosses
I’ve had some great bosses over the years. I’ve also had some godawful ones. For every boss I’ve had who really valued me and appreciated my work, I’ve had one who would encourage me to be casual and friendly with her, then assess me as unprofessional on my reviews, or one who would use me as a scapegoat to get out of jams, or one who would be openly sexist and demeaning, or one who would be basically incompetent and would need me to do my job and his too. I think a lot of people have these experiences from time to time, so Horrible Bosses is hugely relatable as fantasy wish-fulfillment. It’s also rip-roaringly funny.
Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day are great as friends Nick, Kurt and Dale. In their own ways, each of them portray both the straight man and the comic role at different times. Their interactions are goofy and spastic one minute, sarcastic and snarky the next, but somehow it all works. However, if you were to think in terms of a comedy duo where one guy is the straight man and one is the banana man, than really all three friends (Nick, Kurt and Dale) are the straight men while all three of their respective bosses — Harken (Kevin Spacey), Bobby Pellit (Colin Farrell) and Julia (Jennifer Aniston) — are their counterparts. (Julia is definitely a big banana fan.)
Each boss character is played to the nines, at the extreme end of the scenery-chewing, batshit crazy spectrum. They look like seriously the most fun characters in the world to play, because they just go all out inappropriate in every conceivable way. Harken is a sadistic, jealous, ball-busting, manipulative, calculating, murderous fuck. Pellit is a sexist, misogynistic, bigoted, dickweed cokehead d-bag (with a comb-over and a pot belly that is HILARIOUS to behold). And Julia is a psychotic, oversexed lunatic.
To the shock of no one, I’m sure, Jennifer Aniston’s performance is my absolute favorite of the entire film (even including Jamie Foxx as the hysterical pseudo-thug Motherfucker Jones). She plays diametrically opposed to type as a dentist with an extreme capacity for sexual harassment. (“That’s rape! You’re a raper!”) For reasons completely unknown, Julia is obsessed with Dale’s junk and she will do absolutely anything to get a piece of it. It’s a nice role reversal, actually, on your typical sexual harassment storylines, and it’s incredibly funny because it’s so balls-to-the-wall. Aniston has no fear whatsoever being as sexual and as bold as she can possibly be, which, let’s face it, should be a regular thing because it’s so great. Shrinking, insecure violets are so last century. Embrace your sexuality, ladies! (Just don’t sexually harass and/or assault anyone. That’s bad.)
Horrible Bosses is chock full of jokes and rich with stellar performances. And it also confirms my suspicions that watching lots of Law & Order will one day come in handy if I’m ever accused of a crime. That’s a win-win.
Viable Option 