You might look at the score below and say, “Wait, I really liked Horrible Bosses.” And I did, too. The first time around. But the second time, well, not so much. Horrible Bosses is like Borat: one of the funniest movies you’ve ever seen the first time around, but virtually laughless the second time you watch it. That’s not to say that it’s not a good film. It is. In fact, just watching it again is still very enjoyable, if not completely funny. I think a huge part of that is the cast. It’s impossible not to love them. But it’s just not all that funny watching it again at home. It’s a highly rentable film. Wait for it to arrive on Netflix if you haven’t already seen it, as I wouldn’t recommend buying it. It just doesn’t hold up at home.
The story focuses on Nick (Jason Bateman), who has one of the worst bosses ever in Dave Harkin (Kevin Spacey). After years of taking shit and getting nowhere, he’s had enough. And so have his two best friends at their own respective jobs, played by Jason Sudeikis (SNL) and Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). One night in a bar, they decide to get rid of their problems at work permanently, all to hilarious results. What makes this film great (the first time around, anyway) is that their bosses are equally fun to watch do their own thing. I think I enjoyed the bosses even more than the protagonists. They’re just so low down and rotten that they really steal this film.
If I had to choose one boss in particular who still holds their weight from the big screen to the dinky one in my house, it’s Colin Farrell, who plays smarmy so well, you’d think he’d been doing it his entire career. His comb-over, douche-bag, coked-up persona is so good, I think he deserves a movie on his own. Or at least more screen time. I’m not going to spoil anything if you haven’t seen it already, but he’s not in it nearly as long as you’d like him to be. Instead, we get more of Jennifer Aniston, who definitely has her moments as a man-eater who’s unafraid to say anything, no matter how raunchy it is, but it’s an act that gets old early on.
I think my favorite character may be Jamie Foxx, though, who plays the hilarious Dean “Motherfucker” Jones. His performance alone is worth watching Horrible Bosses, as he has the best lines in a movie with a lot of great lines.
If you didn’t get to catch this movie in the theater, you’re in for a treat, because it’s one of the funniest movies you’re going to see in a long time. But if you’ve already seen it, well, there’s no need seeing it again. The box says, “Totally Inappropriate Edition,” but I didn’t see anything really new on the disc. Just the same jokes I laughed at this past summer. Unfortunately, this movie doesn’t get better with repeated viewings. Buy it at your own risk. There’s really nothing on this disc’s special features that wows or inspires any chuckles. “My Least Favorite Career” is only interesting to hear Jason Bateman say that he feels that he never had a “real job” since he’s been acting since the age of 10. Makes ya think. “Surviving a Horrible Boss” features the characters and director, Seth Gordon, talking about how fun it was to have an ensemble cast like this. Well, it certainly looked fun, but I don’t think we needed a whole special feature about that.
“Being Mean is So Much Fun” features the “bosses” talking about their enjoyment of being total pricks. That’s kind of funny, I suppose. “The Making of the Horrible Bosses Soundtrack,” is boring and doesn’t need to be on this disc at all. It is what it sounds like, and it doesn’t sound that interesting in the first place. Pass. Finally, there are the deleted scenes, which are actually interesting. There are two alternate beginnings, which actually could have worked if the director decided to go that route. The other deleted scenes are interesting, too. They aren’t funny, per se, but they provide relevant backstory, so they're worth a watch. Overall, like the movie itself (on its second viewing), the special features are nothing. They're worth a watch if you liked the film, but they really have no true value or worth.
