Review: 'Horrible Bosses' Works Too Hard For Its Laughs

By Michael Lopez

In theory, Horrible Bosses has everything you could want in a comedy. There are Saturday Night Live vets, celebs playing against character, and R-Rated plot points that we all can relate to. Because let's face it, everyone has had at least one Horrible Boss in their lifetime. But curiously, all of these great ingredients don't quite add up to a LMFAO mix.

Now don't get us wrong, the movie definitely starts off on the right foot. In fact, the beginning sequences may be the funniest part of the movie. Unfortunately things start to slowly decline from there. But before they do, we're sure you'll get some laughs from each Horrible Boss introduction.

There's Dave Harken (played by Kevin Spacey), the conniving corporate CEO who loves making his employees' lives a living hell. Bobby Pellitt (played by an unrecognizable Colin Farrell) is just as nasty and happens to have an uncontrollable drug habit. Horrible Boss #3 is none other than Jennifer Aniston, who takes her role over the top as sexually aggressive "maneater," Dr. Julia Harris.

What do these three tyrants have in common? Each of them has an employee that they've pushed too far. Jason Bateman is Harken's long-suffering lackey, Jason Sudeikis plays Pellitt's whipping boy, and Charlie Day has perhaps the funniest scenes as Dr. Julia's unwilling sex object. But even these likeable leads eventually reach their tipping point. After some drinks (and some very dark thoughts), the three buddies decide to "off" each other's despicable supervisor.

Now here's where the plot could really get interesting. But somewhere along the way, it misses the mark and starts losing focus. Colin Farrell, who actually became quite the scene-stealer here, disappears from the mix way too quickly; as does Aniston. Even the reliable Jamie Foxx, who was heavily promoted in the trailer, seems to barely flash on the screen.

Spacey, on the other hand, gets the lion's share of Horrible scenes. Though he plays "the guy you love to hate" rather well, his antics seem a little far-fetched for a business-savvy CEO. And while Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis fit into their roles well, their great comedic moments are few and far between.

Bottom Line: If you're looking for a fun mean-spirited comedy this summer, you may be better off with Cameron Diaz' Bad Teacher. This movie definitely has its share of jokes and funny cameos, but it lacks overall heart. Perhaps the big studio Bosses had a little too much input on this one.

Are you planning on watching Horrible Bosses? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Charlie Day, Colin Farrell, Horrible Bosses, Jamie Foxx, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Movie Reviews, Movies & CineMás