Why So Blu?

The Guys Ironically Become ‘Horrible Bosses 2’ (Movie Review)

We have all had our share of “horrible bosses” haven’t we?  Maybe we don’t care to admit it, but I believe I’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t have their own horrible boss story.  Let’s look at example from a chapter in my own life.  In my current position and prior place of employment I am/had been looked upon in very high regards.  However, two jobs ago, I felt like I could never do anything right to please the man.   Nothing was ever good enough  and in return I was constantly bullied, picked upon and insulted almost every day despite everyone else in the company seemingly loving my work and support.  It just goes to show you there are such things as “horrible bosses” in life and having said that this personal prologue serves as a nice segue into the movie we’re all gathered here today to discuss, introducing Horrible Bosses 2.

I first wrote about the original 2011 film, Horrible Bosses, here.  I made it no secret and nor will I here that I loved that film.  Laughter, love and money are the three best forms of medicine in my life and if I couldn’t have the latter two back in 2011, then I was more than happy to settle for the former.  Fast forward three years later and low and behold we astonishingly have a sequel to a film that probably didn’t need one, but you know you can’t keep a good cash cow down, can you?  Regardless, I’m just exuberant about being back together with my three leading men again, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis.  Plus, in 22 Jump Street fashion, it reunites us with fan favorite characters from the first film, enter into the conversation: Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey.  However, Colin Farrell’s hilarious character in the first film does not return for well…obvious reasons, but we get some really great additions in his place.

While his performance here is no Django Unchained, I always get off whenever Christoph Waltz is involved in any project.  Add in a hilarious outing with Chris Pine and you have all the right ingredients/chemistry at play to innocently forget about the bald cap that Colin Farrell donned in the original.  However, just because they brought in the two aforementioned big guns does not always equate to an entirely solid golden bar.  Let’s take a closer look at why down below as we talk plot and what works/doesn’t here.

Make no doubt about it.  Horrible Bosses 2 is a direct sequel to the original film.  And I’ll apologize for I’m sure I’m going to drop another 22 Jump Street comparison somewhere in this review, but that sequel is still fresh on my mind and in my opinion, both of the these films are my favorite two comedies of the year.  I was hoping I could mention Dumb and Dumber To in that same sentence this year, but I digress.  Our film here takes place after the events of the first film where we pick up with Nick (Bateman), Dale (Day) and Kurt (Sudeikis) launching their own business with an invention called The Shower Buddy.  There are a lot of jokes played off that name, but for now let’s stick to the story.  With the guys risking everything and doing this joint venture I assume it’s clearly apparent to y’all how they have grown and matured (Dale even has triplets now) since the first outing, right?  They are now their own bosses and they can’t wait to prove not only how awesome life is without having someone to answer to someone, but also how great of managers they can be to their employees.

However, after getting into business with Burt Hanson (Waltz) and his son Rex (Pine), their sense of “greatness” is thrown out the window.  They ironically become horrible bosses themselves as they are forced to close their doors and figure out how to recoup all the money they were scammed out of it.  Even worse for Day’s character, the financial welfare of his family is on the line here.  None of these lads have the Benjamins to cover everything Hanson swindled from them.  What are they ever going to do?  Well, why not kidnap Burt’s son and hold him for ransom and take their business back that way?  That sounds like a rock solid plan, right?  Nothing can possibly go wrong here.  WRONG!  The craziness unfolds!  Hold on!  This is where the laughter will definitely ensue.

So you kind of already know going into this one that you can expect plenty of laughs with Foxx reprising his character of Muther-F#$%a Jones and the hot sexual cravings of Aniston’s vixen character.  Hell, you can pretty much arm yourself in the knowledge and preparation that you’ll laugh out loud a lot throughout this one (the guys definitely have great chemistry together).  While it’s not as self-aware and goofy as 22 Jump Street is (there is a very similar mentor-like scene though), Horrible Bosses 2 certainly takes advantage of everything that worked in the first film, minus Farrell’s character of course.  However, parents beware, the film ramps up the laughs mostly with rude, crude and sexually infused humor.  In other words, if you have a potty mouth, you’re going to have a jolly good time with this one.  However, if you’re one that offends easy, hates degrading jokes towards women, rape, race and even sexual fantasies about two 14-year o-old boys, then maybe Horrible Bosses 2 is not your cup of tea.  Fans of the first film know what to expect here, basically more of the same.  And that’s just it.  Horrible Bosses 2 feels like just a logical continuation of the first film, rather than something bold, fresh and new, but that’s just it too.  Why change the formula?  Look what happened to The Hangover Part 3 when they listened to the fans.  It wasn’t that good, was it?  I had a blast with Horrible Bosses 2 and left with a smile on my face.  That’s all that matters to me and hopefully you too.  Just have grandma and grandpa watch the kids after Thanksgiving dinner and treat yourself to some raunchy laughs and a plentitude of F-bombs.  I don’t know about you, but it sounds like a most excellent holiday to me!

Brian White

Owner/Writer/Reviewer/Editor, Dreamer, Producer, Agent of Love, Film Lover, Writer of Screenplays and a Devoted Apostle to all things Ford Mustangs (the real ones with V8's!). Some of my favorite films include FIGHT CLUB, MOULIN ROUGE, THE DARK KNIGHT, STAR WARS alongside television shows such as SEINFELD, 24, SANFORD & SON and even the often loathed in the geek community BIG BANG THEORY. Outside of my three lives I live I also enjoy spending time with my girlfriend and our three girls (of the furry kind).