Movie Review: Horrible Bosses--Far From Horrible

Most summer comedies rely a little too much on the fact that theaters are one of the most frequented air-conditioned havens during the sticky months of June, July, and August.  They don't try too hard to be intelligent or well-plotted, and they'll cast just about anyone they can get in order to use big names as a draw.  When I initially saw the promos for this film, particularly the apparent stunt casting of Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, and Kevin Spacey, I was a little wary.  It just didn't seem like this movie could be as entertaining as I wanted it to be.

However, I insisted on watching it because the trio of Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day is pretty much my comedy-ensemble dream come true.  All three men are hilarious individually, so it only made sense that they'd be thrice as amusing together.  Very fortunately, this hypothesis proved correct.  Even in moments when the plot seemed a little hole-ridden or shaky, the three protagonists kept things on an even keel, particularly Day, whose character was basically a marginally more intelligent version of the dopey bartender he plays on Always Sunny (but this is a play to his comedic strengths, and it renders the type-casting less problematic than you'd think). 

The plot was predictable at times, but had some twists where they were sorely needed.  I loved that the movie didn't turn the guys into overnight criminal masterminds or anything-- in fact, if anything they seemed to grow less competent as the film wore on.  I also enjoyed the way they utilized the famous faces they compiled, allowing all three actors (who portrayed the guys' respective bosses) to have some hilarious moments without overshadowing the film's main focus. 

This movie has a lot of laughs, many to be found in pleasantly unexpected places (a guest appearance by Jamie Foxx is one notable instance).  And if you can accept the plot as a whole for the ridiculousness of its premise, then the story is pretty damn enjoyable.  Overall, a great summer comedy (though not, I will add, for the whole family-- some parents and their kids were seated behind us and felt obligated to walk out 15 minutes in).  Go check it out in theaters now.