You're Fired, Motherfu***

HORRIBLE BOSSES (2011)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

 

If you ever felt downsized or stepped on by your boss, then "Horrible Bosses" might be the movie for you. If you felt so humiliated by your boss that you want to kill them, "Horrible Bosses" doesn't exactly fit that bill but it comes darn close. It is a comedy but it is never too blackly comic nor does it rely on gross-out humor to sell its unwieldy premise - the whole thing is meant to be fun and it has the right attitude.

Three close friends have been harassed by their bosses in one way or another. Jason Bateman is Nick, who works at a security firm for a truly abhorrent and despicable boss, David Harken (Kevin Spacey). David is so mentally and verbally abusive that he chastises Nick for not finishing a drink he offered at 8 in the morning. Even worse, David had promised a promotion for Nick that he decides to award to himself. Dale (Charlie Day), a sex offender for having merely urinated in a playground, is the dental assistant to a conniving, sexual beast of a dentist, Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston), who wants to have sex with Dale. If he doesn't comply, she will tell his fiancee that they did have a romp in the hay. Dr. Julia also has a habit of....ah, see the movie. The third friend of the group is the horny Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis), an accountant for a chemical company overseen by a cokehead and rampant party animal, Bobby (Colin Farell). Bobby takes stock of the company after his father dies of a heart attack (Donald Sutherland) and turns out to be a cruel, egotistical and mean bastard. At one point, he forces Kurt to fire a handicapped employee!

Such horrible bosses merit getting even, but the triad decide to hire a hitman to rub out all three bosses. They find one guy named "Motherfuckah" Jones (Jamie Foxx), who has an alleged history of hits on his belt. Jones ends up giving more advice as a "murder consultant" than committing actual murder.

There are so many belly laughs in "Horrible Bosses" that I was fine with the film not looking to get too dirty or too mean. There is a liveliness in the banter between Bateman, Day and Sudeikis - they transcend the material a little with their observations, asides and pungent comic delivery. This is virtually an old-fashioned R-rated comedy that never gets too vulgar or too raunchy. Seth Gordon ("King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters") directs with buoyancy and charm and a certain level of precariousness (one unpredictable incident involving a gun will have your stomach in knots).

In addition to the likable trio, the rest of the cast is just as tremendous. Jennifer Aniston gives one of her most animated performances in years, shielding the weight of rom-coms for some delicious, catty sex appeal. Kevin Spacey is a pure evil joy as the wickedest boss he has played since "Swimming With Sharks." Colin Farrell shows how capable he can be in playing a vile human being who is largely dim. Jamie Foxx is a hoot and a half as the one and only Motherfuckah Jones, without the "er" attached to the end of that most beautifully profane word.

"Horrible Bosses" is a breeze and a joy, completely riotous from start to finish. It makes no apologies for its humor or situations, and doesn't aim to sentimentalize the slapstick or the premise. After seeing it, you might even have a little sympathy for whoever your boss is. Or you might want to kill them.