Movie Review: HORRIBLE BOSSES

HORRIBLE BOSSES

2011
R

Horrible Bosses is a 2011 comedy directed by Seth Gordon that centers around three friends' hatred with their superiors at work. Nick (Jason Bateman) works for a large company where he hopes to receive a promotion from his cruel boss Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey). Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) works for a small chemical engineering company that's thrown into disarray when the former owner's son Bobby (Colin Farrell) is put in charge. Dale (Charlie Day) is a newly-engaged man who works for a sexual deviant dentist named Julia (Jennifer Aniston). One night, while the three friends talk over drinks, they run across the idea that their lives would be infinitely better if their bosses were no longer in them. Through that, they stumble upon the plan to murder one another's bosses so as to eliminate their frustration. With the help of a murder consultant named Motherfucker Jones (Jamie Foxx), the three men set into motion a plan that will release them from any motive as they try to kill Dave, Bobby and Julia. As one can imagine, however, things don't necessarily go according to plan.

When I first heard about Horrible Bosses, I can honestly say that I was a tad bit worried about its concept and its overall potential for success. I know that there's been a bit of an upwelling against Jason Bateman in the past couple years, considering that a number of his films haven't necessarily performed exceptionally well. Add to the fact that I wasn't very fond of Jason Sudeikis's performance in Hall Pass, and you can see the reasons behind my doubt. Still, being a fan of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" - and especially of Charlie Day's character on that show - gave me some reason to think that Horrible Bosses could get off the ground. Then I started to see the laundry list of actors who would be featured in the film. It would have been enough to have Kevin Spacey even making a cameo in this one, but when you add the likes of Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston and Jamie Foxx, there's sure to be some fantastic performances placed before us on-screen.

I can honestly say that the actors do not disappoint. Charlie Day steals the show - although I had no doubt in my mind that he would - from Bateman and Sudeikis, but even they do enough to make their characters likable and engaging. However, the real meat of the performances has to come from the supporting characters. Spacey is a revelation, as always, and it's great to see him dabbling in a little bit of comedy. His character is downright nasty, and it works perfectly within the film. Farrell had a little less screen-time than I would've liked, but he plays the part of "tool" to perfection. And I honestly can't say enough about Miss Aniston, who brings a performance to the screen unlike any I've ever seen her bring. If you're looking for shock factor, you need not look past her. Add to the fact that we've got some cameos from other recognizable stars, including Donald Sutherland, Lindsay Sloane, John Francis Daley, Ioan Gruffudd, Julie Bowen and Ron White, and you've got quite an impressive cast list. (Oh, and for those of you paying extremely close attention, you'll notice a very brief cameo from Isaiah Mustafa, better known as the "Old Spice guy").

Now, the screenplay also works relatively well, even if it's a little far-fetched at times. The plot gets a little goofy here and there, but when you've got three bumbling fools as your leads, then you're sure to have some wild antics ready and waiting. There are a few twists and turns here and there, but it's nothing wildly out of the ordinary. However, the dialogue - which constitutes a strong portion of a screenplay's effectiveness - is witty and feels rather fresh. Yes, the actors definitely delivered it well, but someone had to write it, right? The dialogue boosts the screenplay all the more.

Is Horrible Bosses one of the best comedies I've ever seen? Well, I wouldn't quite go that far. That being said, however, I'm not quite sure I've laughed this hard during a movie since the original Hangover back in 2009. It's a goofy bit of funny, but there's definitely some genuine laughs to be had throughout the film. I can honestly give this film my recommendation, and I don't think you'll be disappointed by going to see it. Charlie Day alone makes this film worth watching, but the fact that we're given a number of great performances to enjoy makes it all the more hilarious.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A-
2 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: THE KING OF KONG

THE KING OF KONG

A Fistful of Quarters
2007
PG-13

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a 2007 documentary directed by Seth Gordon. It follows Steve Wiebe's attempts to break the long-standing high score on the old Donkey Kong video game. After being laid off, Wiebe started to pass the time by playing the game on a machine in his garage. He started to score higher and higher and took it upon himself to challenge the score set by Billy Mitchell, a famous figure in the retro gaming scene, back in 1982. When Wiebe beats the score, he submits his video to Twin Galaxies, the official record-keeper for video games. However, Mitchell questions whether the video is valid, and Wiebe's short-lived title is revoked (despite the fact that we all know his attempt was legitimate). In response, Wiebe challenges Mitchell to a live, head-to-head showdown, but Mitchell never shows to defend his title, leaving all the pressure on Steve himself.

Although The King of Kong is a documentary, it has the feel of a scripted drama. In the beginning, when we're getting the history of early video gaming, we're not really sure who to like. For all we know, Billy Mitchell could be the good guy in the story. However, once we're introduced to down-on-his-luck Steve Wiebe, it becomes very evident who the audience is going to stand behind. As all of the drama unfolds, the movie develops Mitchell as the true villain of the story, and what a villain he is. I was verbally expressing my distaste with the man purely as a human being. He's such a complete asshole that you almost have to like Wiebe by default.

At the same time, we see the inner workings of the higher-up gaming community that will do whatever it takes to protect their own. Billy Mitchell is gaming royalty, and everyone seemed to be doing whatever they could to protect his record. In a way, Steve Wiebe's journey was an entire uphill battle because of the apparent corruption at the top of this scoring organization. We get a very intense competition that borders on good versus evil. Well, evil is a strong word, but it's the first one that comes to mind.

One of the best parts of the movie, however, is the fact that it moves from a competition between two gamers to a competition between two completely different types of people. The reason we cheer for Steve Wiebe is because we can recognize that he's a much better person than Billy Mitchell who proves himself time and again to be not that great of a guy. This "douchiness," for lack of a better word, propels the audience away from Mitchell and onto Wiebe's side. I haven't rooted for a character this much in quite a while, and that's quite a testament considering we're talking about grown men playing Donkey Kong.

On the whole, The King of Kong is engrossing and wholly satisfying. It's even got a fantastic soundtrack that hearkens back to the '80s when many of these games made their debut. It's definitely worth a watch if you've got eighty minutes to kill.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A-
Current All-Time Rank: Best - #177
2 Thumbs Up
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