Horrible Bosses

With the way corporate America treats its employees these days, it was only a matter of time until someone put together the ultimate revenge fantasy for every cubicle dweller, put upon administrative assistant and dedicated wage earner who makes the boss look good when he is so so bad. On top of it all, Horrible Bosses is pretty funny, too.

Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day star as Nick, Kurt and Dale - three guys who have been pushed to the edge by bosses who harass them (Dale), play mind games with them (Nick) and take advantage of them (Kurt) in ways that drive the three amigos to plot their murders to get out from under those evil thumbs.

Of course, we have to wonder if these decent guys have it in them to commit the deed.

That's why I think Horrible Bosses is funny. It's a dark comedy, but Bateman, Sudeikis and Day play these guys as hardworking, honest dudes who are much too bumbling and kindhearted to pull off this dastardly plan, so we get to laugh at their mistakes, screw ups and general incompetence. They are harmless assassins as Day entertains us by making Dale a hyper, spastic man full of a hilarious rage, while Sudeikis and Bateman are excellent at slyly delivering some dialogue that surprises you with its understatement.

No one is trying too hard to make you laugh because the script from Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daily and Jonathan M. Goldstein does some of the work for them. You have to wonder what horrible jobs and bosses these three had to get such inspiration for the movie. Sadly, I think I might have worked for the same people.

On top of that, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell and Kevin Spacey become the epitome of everything we hate about that bad boss who abuses power, especially Spacey, who is perfect as the meanest, most conniving corporate suit to walk into the boardroom. He's like Donald Trump with better hair.

I think he makes the biggest impression because we have all seen something like this in a bad boss before in our lives, whereas Farrell and Aniston are more cartoonish. They are funny, but Spacey is the king of being a jerk on screen, and I applaud him for it.

Horrible Bosses is a fast moving film that could use more detail and development, especially with Aniston's subplot, which is lost in the middle of the movie, so director Seth Gordon needs to go back and finish her story off just when you think the film is over. However, Horrible Bosses will do the job if you want to laugh this weekend. Just don't get any ideas. I don't want all of my readers, listeners and viewers to end up in the slammer.

Horrible Bosses is rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language and some drug material.