A Point of Geeks report
November is the month of the comedy sequel. Dumb and Dumber To debuted in first place and now comedy fans are given a second serving of Horrible Bosses, whether they asked for it or not. Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), and Dale (Charlie Day) return in the movie without actual bosses, Horrible Bosses 2. The three reprise their characters from the moderately successful 2011 film and the results are a mixed bag.
Horrible Bosses 2 feels like it is a remake of an 80's movie and that works to the film's benefit. The movie is powered by soundtrack over substance and the world is real, but very bright and heightened. A movie like Weekend at Bernie's was seemingly set in the real world, however it's main characters were never in danger of being jailed for hauling around a dead guy. That's not what the movie is about, that isn't where the laughs are. This film feels akin to those wacky comedies where the consequences are thrown out of the window and it feels refreshing at times.
This time around the trio are no longer employees. They have created a new business venture together and are looking to become entrepreneurs. The film begins as the three have somehow worked their way onto a morning wake up show, where they are pitching their new shower product. Keegan-Michael Key makes a cameo appearance as one of the morning show hosts and there are a few big laughs.
The trio's invention catches the eye of business tycoon, Burt Hanson (Christoph Waltz), who commissions a huge order from them. Hanson goes on to pull a tricky business maneuver which leaves them bankrupted and they decide the only way to save their business, is to kidnap his son for a ransom.
The comedy works at times, as sort of a modern day Three Stooges where Justin Bateman's Nick acts as the Moe to the other two stooges. There certainly isn't the physical comedy of the great comedy act, but the cartoonish bumbling from one situation, to another worst situation is certainly present. Bateman is strong as the straight man of crew. There is a ton of improv in this movie and he clearly is able to roll with the punches, while keeping a completely straight face. His character is typically the voice of reason and the one to shake someone out of their idiocy.
A host of big name actors return in the movie including Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx. Aniston is given the most time and is clearly trying to shake things up again, as the sex addicted dentist, Julia. Her advances on the three, lead to a few awkwardly funny situations, particularly for Charlie Day's Dale who is only trying to get back to his wife and family.
The film ultimately suffers from being too uneven and the story never really goes anywhere interesting. The plot twists seemed forced and it felt as if the actors were thrown out, to either improvise or drown. It was not terribly shocking to find that the same writers behind Dumb & Dumber To wrote this as well. The main trio of actors do have intelligence behind them and giving them more nuanced characters to play could have helped. However it comes down to there not being a strong story to tell.
Horrible Bosses 2 does have moments of hilarity, however it certainly will not stand the test of time. It is kind of like the popcorn that you will eat when you watch it. You will enjoy it while it's there, but you won't remember too much about it a few days later.