In these recession-hit times, when companies believe they have carte blanche to “own you”, a film about three employees who are being shafted every which way (one literally), who conspire to murder their bosses from hell will certainly have large audience appeal.
Throw in the fact you have a nymphomaniac (and brun-ette) Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell sporting a massive slaphead, and Jamie Foxx as a felon called M*therf*cker Jones, and my excitement is ramped to the max.
And, while this may not be the cathartic experience I was hoping for, it certainly delivered in laugh-out-loud moments.
The first scene sees loyal, hard-working employee Nick (Jason Bateman) being chewed out by the King of Nastiness, Harken (Kevin Spacey), for being two minutes late.
There follows a series of ritual humiliations forced on Nick who endures all for the sake of the dangling carrot of promotion. Spacey is truly convincing as an amalgamation of all your worst tyrannical mini Hitlers: psychopathic, odious, menacing – and one of the most entertaining characters in the film.
And what of a newly follically challenged Farrell?
Well, he plays the spoilt addict offspring of a rich tycoon (Donald Sutherland) who dies leaving his company in the hands of his incompetent son. With his greasy combover and over-large head balanced on a spindly frame, he is painfully unattractive sleaze.
Many men might not have so much sympathy for the funniest character, though.
Charlie Day plays a hamster-like dental assistant to Jennifer Aniston’s ragingly rampant dentist.
In the best scenes in the film, Dale is constantly harassed by Dr Harris.
Both Day and Aniston are fantastic in this and Aniston returns to the form she showed in Along Came Polly.
In fact, no one in the cast puts a foot wrong and director Seth Gordon clearly gave them free rein to improvise.
There is plenty to enjoy here, especially if crude humour is your thing.
The ending may not exactly be to everyone’s tastes, (or hopes for that matter), but Horrible Bosses is a fun, fast-paced romp with an excellent cast at full pelt.
Any Aniston fans should rush out to see this – it may be your last chance, as she’s reputed to be taking a year’s break to concentrate, like her character, on her love life.
Horrible Bosses is on genersal release from Friday, July 22.
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