Like A Boss (Blu-ray Review)
Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne have both been steady contributors to comedy films over the last decade. Routinely we can count on them to make us laugh even if the films themselves aren’t great. They both bring something to the table as far as singular joy and consistently light up the screen when they’re on! Seeing ads for Like A Boss I knew a few things: One, even if no one had seen the film it would draw comparison to Bridemaids and Girls Trip, their best films respectively; Two, despite the comparison, the film would be ripped to shreds by critics; and Three, audiences wouldn’t go see it regardless. Right down to the comparisons to their other films, I was right. Read my thoughts on Like A Boss below and be sure to click the paid Amazon link below to grab a copy of the film which is available on 4/21!
Film 
Mel and Mia (Haddish and Byrne) have been best friends since they were teenagers. They do everything together – they live together, work together and are basically sisters from another mister. Mel’s mother was a drug addict and Mia and her mother took Mel in. They live in Mia’s mother’s house which was left to them when Mia’s mother passed away. In that house, they created a cosmetics startup in the garage. The startup is so successful that Mel and Mia are able to open a storefront (Mel&Mia) in their hometown and it too is relatively successful.
Mia is the creative force, choosing to accentuate natural beauty and boost self esteem in women over the whole “hot women are treated better” approach of some competitors (in this film, a pair of stereotypical bro-types who run a company called Get Some.) When the pair are approached by Claire Luna (Salma Hayek) with a proposal to add Mel&Mia to her cosmetics empire (with a shady deal of course…) Mel jumps at the chance for success and Mia is less than convinced. She sees through Claire immediately and knows the repercussions of their failure under the mogul’s brand.
This is all a part of the formula. There is nothing that is unpredictable in this film. The scenes come through as if they were assembly lined in. Characters are also from the “comedy cliff’s notes” and are just as you’d expect them to be. There is the feminine empowerment angle thrown in for timely measure and bro-culture cliché too. Did I mention the fabulous gay man that’s in the fold? It’s all predictable and nothing comes across as very original either.
This is where things get really interesting though – I didn’t care. I was so taken with this film that I didn’t care that it was flawed, unoriginal, and somewhat “been-there-done-that.” Rose Byrne and Tiffany Haddish were fantastic – hilarious even. They have an easy, true friends kind of chemistry that I just love to see in any movie. Not only that, but Salma Hayek chews up scenery as the would-be villainess. She does this with a gusto in an orange wig and bucked front teeth.
The supporting cast is fabulous too! Billy Porter owns his tired role as the token gay male. He is fantastic, funny and has a nice tough edge. Jennifer Coolidge comes in with her quiet, awkwardness that bubbles under as mild and sometimes brings some of the biggest laughs of the film. Karan Soni (who is delightful in the Deadpool films) shows up here as an assistant. His quiet performance is also a show stealer. There are a host of others (Natasha Rothwell, Jessica St. Clair, Ari Graynor, Jacob Lattimore and Jimmy O. Yang) that show up to the party and all have moments in the film that provide some laughter too.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself watching this film. Again, it isn’t perfect. You can see the ending coming like a car with high beams on. You know the manufactured argument between the best friends will end in a good way. You know the villain will get hers in the end. You know all of those things will work out. But the enjoyment is just letting those criticisms go. Enjoy the people on screen. Take a moment to laugh, and not be so taken with the critical aspect. There aren’t any contrivances here. The actors all certainly look like they’re giving you a lot of their enthusiasm in their work. There are a ton of funny scenes inside the extremely short running time. That’s another thing – At 83 minutes, there are no slow moments. This is a fast paced, get to the point type of film. I appreciated that too! If you are looking for a film that can get to your funny bone without challenging you too much, then Like A Boss is pure escapist comedy fun!
Video
- Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC
- Resolution: 1080p
- Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
- Layers: BD-50
- Clarity/Detail: Like A Boss looks nice and clean. Detail is apparent right from the opening. Interiors and exteriors shine here. The look is very much like any modern presentation. The look is neat and digital, and there are not many if any instances of softness to report.
- Depth: Depth on display is noticeable in the interiors. Mel & Mia’s storefront and Claire Luna’s office compound all have a lot of pop to them. You want to reach out and grab the items in the store. This isn’t three dimensional per se but looks wise, there is a lot to take in.
- Black Levels: Blacks look just as they should with a modern movie taking place in modern times. All blacks look clean and accurate in natural light or set lighting.
- Color Reproduction: One thing this movie revels in is colorful pop. Wardrobe, sets, and locations all look wonderfully colorful here. The movie teeters between the warm and cool color tones with a perfect balance. Reds and Oranges pop and Blues and Greens look lovely too.
- Flesh Tones: Flesh tones are wonderful here. The film is in part about the makeup industry, and there are moments where women are made over for events or to show off a new cosmetic line. The makeup work is great throughout and even though you know the makeup has been applied, no one is betrayed by off balanced makeup work. Gorgeous flesh tones here.
- Noise/Artifacts: None
Audio
- Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 7.1; French, Portuguese and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
- Dynamics: The film is a modern once, but the mix, while it’s 7.1 doesn’t feel like it is. The dialogue is mixed very quietly, and the music is loud and sometimes bombastic. Surrounds don’t do much either. The sound isn’t bad really, but it could use another pass through the mix board.
- Height: N/A
- Low Frequency Extension: LFE is on display with music. There are music cues that give the subwoofer a reason for being, and maybe a few instances of bass induced sound effects.
- Surround Sound Presentation: Surrounds are used sparingly. Crowd noise, light outdoor ambience and subtle music appear, but the mix isn’t terribly demanding of surround sound either.
- Dialogue Reproduction: Quiet! That’s the name of that game. The dialogue sounds fine, but with this one, you’ll be going to the remote to crank the volume for a lot of the dialogue driven moments.
Extras
Like A Boss arrives at home with a bundled DVD, digital code and slipcover. There are the bare-minimum extras you’d expect from a release like this and they are:
- With Coworkers Like There, Who Needs Friends? (5:41): A tiny feature about the friendships created on set. The chemistry and good time atmosphere I mentioned in my review are on display here.
- Get Some with Ron and Greg (2:17): A pointless feature on the makeup bros in the film
- Deleted Scenes (2:32): Two deleted scenes that would’ve added a couple of minutes to the runtime, but it’s clear why they weren’t included.
Summary
I could rip Like A Boss to shreds, but I won’t. I love the cast, the purely silly and genuinely funny performances, and the sunny overall nature of the movie won me over. If you can figure out how to check your brain, remember that comedies can be silly and just for a laugh and I firmly believe you’ll find a nice little enjoyable movie here. With the madness of quarantine life among us, it’s nice to escape with something like this film. I definitely recommend this one.
