Horrible Bosses (2011)

Three friends conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness.

Director:

Seth Gordon

Writers:

Michael Markowitz (screenplay), John Francis Daley (screenplay),

Stars:

Jason Bateman, Steve Wiebe, Charlie Day

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Bateman	...	Nick Hendricks
Steve Wiebe	...	Thomas, Head of Security
Kevin Spacey	...	Dave Harken
Charlie Day	...	Dale Arbus
Lindsay Sloane	...	Stacy
Michael Albala	...	Mr. Anderton
Jennifer Aniston	...	Dr. Julia Harris, D.D.S.
Jason Sudeikis	...	Kurt Buckman
Jennifer Hasty	...	Kurt's Co-Worker
Reginald Ballard	...	Kurt's Co-Worker
George Back	...	Kurt's Co-Worker
Barry Livingston	...	Kurt's Co-Worker
Meghan Markle	...	Jamie
Donald Sutherland	...	Jack Pellit
Celia Finkelstein	...	Margie Emerman

Storyline

Nick hates his boss, mostly because he's expected to work from before sunrise to after sunset and his boss, Mr. Harken, calls him out for being a minute late and blackmails him so he can't quit. Dale hates his boss, Dr. Julia Harris, because she makes unwelcome sexual advances when he's about to get married. But Dale is on that pesky list of child offenders so he can't quit. Kurt actually likes his job and his boss, well, up until his boss dies and the boss's coked-out, psychopathic son takes over. But who would be crazy enough to quit their jobs in such poor economic times? Instead Nick, Dale and Kurt drunkenly and hypothetically discuss how to kill their bosses, and before they know it, they've hired a murder consultant to help them pull off the three deeds.

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Plot Keywords:

boss | murder | cocaine | chemical company | dental assistant | 

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Taglines:

Crazy Psycho Boss

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language and some drug material

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 July 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Quiero matar a mi jefe

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$28,302,165 (USA) (8 July 2011)

Gross:

$117,528,646 (USA) (21 October 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Rat Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 106 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan both auditioned for roles.

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Goofs

When Dave Harken has an attack caused by peanuts, he falls and drops the bag - in the next shot of Dave he drops the bag again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nick Hendricks: I get to work before the sun comes up, and I leave long after it's gone down. I haven't had sex in 6 months with someone other than myself. And the only thing in my refrigerator is an old lime. Could be a kiwi, no way to tell.

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Crazy Credits

Outtakes and bloopers at the beginning of the closing credits.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.185 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"This Is How I Roll"
Written and Produced by Christopher Lennertz, Money Mark and Todd Bozung
Performed by Money Mark

User Reviews

Horrible Bosses Is Easily The Best Comedy Of The Year!

There have already been two major comedy releases this summer, in the form of The Hangover Part 2 and Bridesmaids, but Horrible Bosses puts both of those to shame. With ease.

Director Seth Gordon (The King of Kong) has put together an absolutely fantastic dark comedy, full of hilarious dialog, raunchy humor, and an exceptionally strong cast. The real treat of the film, much like 2009's The Hangover, is the in the execution. So many aspects of the film come together in just the right way, with exceptional comedic timing, that you simply can't help but to enjoy the ride.

Horrible Bosses stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis as three good friends who all have the same problem: they hate their bosses. Albeit for different reasons, of course. Bateman's boss, Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey), is an egotistical jerk. Day's boss, Julia Harris (Jennifer Anniston), is a sex-craved maniac, while Sudeikis' new boss, Bobby Pellitt (Colin Farrell) is a coke head. The film gives the audience plenty of good reasons to hate these bosses, which helps to relate to the friends' idea of murdering them.

What starts out as an off-joke one night between friends blossoms into something more dark and sinister than one would think, with the three friends actually going out of their way to dispose of one another's bosses. They can't handle their work environment, and the film's script gives very good reasons as to why switching jobs really isn't an option. This is key in relating to and believing in the script.

Despite what the trailers may lead you to believe, most of the time within the film really isn't spent establishing the murders. Instead, the jokes are found within the concept, giving the three actors plenty of time to entertain you. You're not watching three men plot to murder their bosses; you're watching three men ponder the plot of how to murder their bosses. There's a fine distinction here, and the script does a great job of establishing the difference.

Seth Gordon does a fantastic job directing here, adding a layer of intensity to the dark subject matter. The script is nearly perfect, offering the right amount of dark and crude humor with a great amount of solid, unforgettable laughs.

Outside of those two concepts, Horrible Bosses really shines in two great ways. The three stars of the film, Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis, have fantastic chemistry here. The three play off of one another in such a manner that you can't help but laugh. Each is bringing a drastically different character to life (though arguably Bateman is still playing the same man he plays in every movie), and their interactions are key to the audience enjoying the film. The group truly works well together, much like a great ensemble should, and we only hope a sequel is quickly green-lit.

The other amazing component of the film is the supporting cast, which couldn't be more perfect. Spacey is clearly enjoying his dark, disturbing role as an office jerk, spending much of the film steam-rolling anyone who gets in his way. Every so often you can even catch a slight hint in Spacey's eyes that he's enjoying himself. Maybe a little too much.

Colin Farrell completely disappears into the role of Bobby. His despicable manners and attitude toward other human beings is absolutely hilarious. He's nearly unrecognizable in the part, and it's fantastic to see a role where Farrell is out of his comfort zone.

And last, but not least, is Jennifer Anniston's Julia Harris, the sexually harassing, foul-mouthed and loathsome creature. She spends much of her time on screen making one sex joke after another, and it's great to see her playing a character completely unique to her past. Horrible Bosses is easily Anniston's best film to date, though that might not be saying much.

If you've enjoyed movies like The Hangover or Bridesmaids, you'll love Horrible Bosses. It is simply the best comedy so far this summer, and deserves to be seen in theaters. It's a must-own once it hits retail shelves. Horrible Bosses is one movie not to miss this summer.

Our Rating: 4 out of 5 Reels