How much abuse is an employee willing to take before considering committing coldly calculated murder? That question is asked by a trio of likeable losers trapped in workplace purgatory—bad situations underscored by the arid job market. Uptight Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman) is constantly humiliated by sadistic CEO Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey). After beloved mentor Jack Pellitt (Donald Sutherland) unexpectedly dies, Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) finds himself at the mercy of Pellit's coked-up, amoral son, Bobby (Colin Farrell), who inherits the family's chemical business. And whiny Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) is a dutiful dental technician who's sexually harassed on a daily—if not hourly—basis by predatory Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston). Desperate but admittedly inept, the trio pay ex-con Dean “MF” Jones (Jamie Foxx) to advise them on how to assassinate their tormentors. Lacking experience, knowledge, and common sense, the three stooges naturally bungle their way into one misadventure after another. The script successfully sets up the outrageously crude, nasty workplace situations—featuring rampant misogyny and gross vulgarity—but the screenplay tends to flounder after that, although director Seth Gordon is smart to let the competent cast display their expert comedic timing, particularly Foxx as the tough “consultant.” A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (10 min.) and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are both the theatrical and extended versions, the cast featurettes “Surviving a Horrible Boss” (7 min.) and “Being Mean is So Much Fun” with costars Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, and Kevin Spacey (7 min.), a “making-of” on the soundtrack (6 min.), a “My Least Favorite Career” segment on the cast and crew's previous jobs (5 min.), a bonus DVD copy of the film, and an instant streaming UltraViolet digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray extras package for an uneven comedy.] (S. Granger)
Horrible Bosses
Warner, 98 min., R, DVD: $28.98, Blu-ray: $35.99, Oct. 11 Volume 26, Issue 6
Horrible Bosses
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: