Horrible Bosses: Horrible Is Right
Here's a trailer for Horrible Bosses, the new star-studded comedy about a trio of unhappy dudes who decide to kill their, well, horrible bosses. The cast is great (Charlie Day! Colin Farrell! Aniston!) and the concept is fun, so why does it look so... dull?
Lest anyone chime in with the boring and worn-out comment "Why are you judging this based on two minutes, blah blah," let me just say, yes, I am judging this on two minutes. Because we're supposed to! This is advertising for the movie! If I see an ad for food that looks gross (looking in your direction, Red Robin) I think it's OK to say "That looks gross" without then saying "But I should go eat at Red Robin first, lest I become judgmental." It's just a thing humans do! Plus, it's my job. So. That's done.
Next, does it bother anyone else that the Jennifer Aniston plotline seems to focus on her being hot and some sort of aggressive nympho? Like why does that have to be the way she's horrible? Couldn't she be undermining and petty and passive aggressive like so many actual horrible bosses? And yes yes, maybe she is in the movie and this is just what they chose to show for the trailer, but why then did they choose to show it? I don't know. It bothers me that she still has to get the hot lady treatment even though she's ostensibly one of the movie's villains. Can't a lady get a break? I guess not.
Moving on from that, Kevin Spacey can be a funny dude. (Exhibits A and B.) But we've seen him do the jerky boss character before and this seems a bit like a tired pastiche of that. Just go rent Swimming With Sharks and be done with it. Colin Farrell looks funny though! Who doesn't love Colin Farrell? After an obnoxious first career as a Hollywood-forced leading man, he's come back for a second act as a smart, humble character guy who's all into the gay rights and stuff. He's a cool dude! Vote yes on Colin Farrell.
Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, and Jason Bateman are all funny fellows, with Day being the absurdist to the other two's straight(er) men. They seem to work well together, especially when there are funny cocaine jokes and all. But... wouldn't it be nice to see Jason Bateman not play Jason Bateman sometime? Just once, that's all. Maybe just one time. And why couldn't a girl have a horrible boss too? Y'know?
Anyway. No, I am not terribly excited to see this movie based off of these two minutes. It's a pretty dark concept and yet got this Sandler movie-esque gloss put on it that doesn't sit quite right. I say embrace the dark! And rewrite the Aniston character! The movie comes out in July, there's still time! Or don't listen to me and make tens of millions of dollars. Either way.