What are critics saying about Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day's flick about sticking it to the man?
By Terri Schwartz
Jason Sudeikis in "Horrible Bosses"
Photo: Warner Bros
Up until "Horrible Bosses" was released, "Bridesmaids" could easily claim the title of Funniest Movie of the Summer. But now that the film about three guys fed up with taking crap from their superiors has hit theaters, Kristen Wiig's girl-power comedy is getting a run for its money.
So will "Horrible Bosses" split your sides or leaving you walking out of the theater with a straight face? The critical response has been mostly positive, highlighting the chemistry of leads Charlie Day, Jason Bateman and Jason Sudeikis, and the hilarious acting prowess of secondary actors Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston and Jamie Foxx. But some have also pointed out flaws in the script.
Check out this little sampling of reviews and decide for yourself:
The Plot
"It takes the ordinary human traits of stupidity, selfishness, lust and greed (and also stupidity), embeds them in a human condition that is confusing, unfair and also stupid, and turns the whole sorry spectacle into a carnival. The laughter is mean but also oddly pure: It expels shame and leaves you feeling dizzy, a little embarrassed and also exhilarated, kind of like the cocaine that two of the main characters consume by accident." — A. O. Scott, The New York Times
The Cast
"In this well-cast movie, each one plays to the strengths of the actors portraying him. Consider Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey), a supercilious sadist who toys with his middle manager Nick (Jason Bateman). Few are better than Spacey at regarding others with contempt and humiliating them with pleasure. Many other actors, given his dialogue in this film, would seem unconvincing and over the top. Spacey demonstrates why he is getting praise right now in London for his work as Shakespeare's Richard III. You remember him." — Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun Times
The "Hangover" Comparison
"Briskly written and sometimes acted with barely a straight face, 'Bosses' is what 'Hangover Part II' should have been: a celebration of slack-wits who find themselves over their heads when drunken talk becomes half-in-action plan. But where 'Hangover II' relied on gross-out humor, 'Bosses' finds laughter in cubicle chatter, such as if there's a difference between being one or two minutes late to work (apparently yes, if you're cutting the check). This is an 'Office Space' for a generation that gripes on Twitter." — Scott Bowles, USA Today
The Script
"It's a very good thing that those three guys [Day, Sudeikis and Bateman] cutting up, mocking each other and getting into embarrassing scrapes is fun to watch, because the script they're reading (credited to Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein) is miscellaneous nonsense, and implausible even by the standards of who-cares Hollywood absurdity." — Andrew O'Hehir, Salon
The Final Word
"The movie is equal parts outrageous (did Aniston really say that?), raunchy (did Sudeikis really stick that toothbrush there?), and reassuring (aww, the dental assistant really loves his demure fiancée). In this comedic assault on the inequities of corporate hierarchy, the bosses only get what's coming to them. The audience, meanwhile, reaps the employee benefits." — Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Check out everything we've got on "Horrible Bosses."
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