HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 (2014)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Sean Anders
Cast: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: M18 (Coarse Language and Some Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: http://horriblebosses2.com

Opening Day: 27 November 2014

Synopsis: Fed up with answering to higher-ups, Nick (Bateman), Dale (Day) and Kurt (Sudeikis) decide to become their own bosses by launching their own business in "Horrible Bosses 2." But a slick investor soon pulls the rug out from under them. Outplayed and desperate, and with no legal recourse, the three would-be entrepreneurs hatch a misguided plan to kidnap the investor's adult son and ransom him to regain control of their company.

Movie Review:

Horrible Bosses 2 is the sequel to the 2011 black comedy film Horrible Bosses. The film retains the comedic trio Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day), who have now become entrepreneurs with their new invention, “The Shower Buddy”. They get a call from Rex Hanson (Chris Pine) from Boulder Stream, who is interested in distributing their product. Boulder Stream is the retail giant owned by Bert Hanson (Christoph Waltz), a self-made man who believes in the American dream. Rex is Bert’s scoundrel son who earlier tries to intimidate the trio into selling their product exclusively to Boulder Stream for a one-time cut. Much to Rex’s dismay, Burt steps in to help and his honesty charms Nick, Kurt and Dale. They immediately get to work, producing a large order of The Shower Buddy for Bert. Plot twist – Bert turns out to be a greater villain. He cancels their order, leaving the trio on the verge of bankruptcy. Since murder didn’t exactly work out the last time, Nick, Kurt and Dale seek help from their old pal, MotherF***** Jones (Jamie Foxx), to kidnap Rex for ransom. How the trio manages to pull off the worst kidnapping plan ever makes up the rest of the film. 

Being a fan of the first installment of Horrible Bosses, the expectations for the sequel were set high. The first film’s clever use of black comedy and the authentic chemistry between Bateman, Sudeikis and Day made Horrible Bosses a hilarious film that we enjoyed immensely. In the sequel, the male leads attempt to start and end strong. The trio has an undeniable comedic chemistry and they hold the film together. Charlie Day ] was particularly impressive in the sequel and again overshadowed most of the main cast. For some unfortunate reason, Sudeikis’s Kurt was made dumber than his character in the first installment. Sudeikis had to rely on tired jokes or slapstick comedy to pull off his role in the trio. This made for some forced and painfully stale jokes in the early half of the film, letting down many fans of the first film. However, the second half of the film proved to be a non-stop comedy fest. The trio kept up perfect comedy timing that entertained the audience, where one could even look past the messy and reprehensible plot. The scripted car chase with Jamie Foxx was the comedic highlight of the film, where the cast worked hand in hand to create a series of perfectly timed jokes that left the audience laughing till the end of the film. There are also some clever laughs as the film subtly pokes fun at the new “American Dream”, which is now made in China.

However, one could argue that the laughs in Horrible Bosses 2 ultimately paled in comparison to its predecessor. There was an overuse of offensive humor that made the audience feel slightly uncomfortable. Jennifer Aniston’s role was reduced to an unfunny sex-maniac/rapist and her purpose in the film was non-existent. This was just one of the many examples of the misuse of the star-studded cast available to Sean Anders and the writers of the film. Kevin Spacey reprised his role as David Harken, Nick’s original horrible boss, and was responsible for some of the best laughs in the film. Unfortunately, Spacey’s role was also condensed and he only made a couple of cameo appearances in the film. We also got to see Christoph Waltz as Bert and most were excited at his introduction. The veteran is well known for his wit and humor outside of Hollywood, and of course his incredible acting abilities as seen on his most recent critically acclaimed hit - Django Unchained. The sequel’s biggest letdown is the criminal under-use of Waltz, as his role was reduced to a few minutes on screen and didn’t even add much oomph to the plot.

There were new, welcome additions to the Horrible Bosses 2 cast – Chris Pine. While Pine is mostly known for his work in the reboot of Star Trek, his work in comedy include the black theatre comedy The Lieutenant of Inishmore and the commercial comedy This Means War with Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon. We were pleasantly surprised at Pine’s natural knack for humor and his ability to keep up with the main cast. Chris Pine proved his acting prowess in Horrible Bosses 2, and we couldn’t be happier.

Overall, Horrible Bosses 2 was a step-down from its predecessor, but it still manages to make room for some great laughs for everyone. It could have lived up to its predecessor’s success if it had made the same, if not greater use of its incredible cast. 

Movie Rating:

(It may not be as great as its predecessor, but Horrible Bosses 2 gives us some memorable laughs and a good time)

Review by Aishwarya Kumar