Horrible Bosses

Director: Seth Gordon

At times we have all been sick of our bosses and some can admit to having fantasized ridding our lives of their presence. But for three fed up employees the fantasy becomes a reality when they decide to murder their bosses in this American black comedy.

Best friends Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) have reached the end of their tether with their bosses. Nick’s boss (Kevin Spacey) is a conniving psychopath who falsely promises him a promotion in order to make him work harder; Dale’s boss (Jennifer Aniston) is bent on sexually seducing him despite him being happily engaged; and after the death of his previous beloved boss Jack Pellitt (Donald Sutherland), Kurt is instead left with Jack’s cocaine-addicted son Bobby (Colin Farrell) as his boss. With little idea of how to successfully pull off a murder they hire the help of a man they believe to be a murderer (Jamie Foxx). Of course, even best laid plans go astray and theirs has more than one as they attempt to pull off three simultaneous “accidental” deaths.

Of the star cast most stick to what they do best with only Colin Farrell perhaps breaking into new ground in the role he plays. This however works in the film’s favor with the actors obviously comfortable in their roles.
The film lacks in originality and relies on a number of far-stretched coincidences, but a star cast and a number of memorable one-liners – which the cast themselves joke about at the film’s end – make it a worthwhile summer flick that requires minimal to no thinking on the part of the audience.