“Horrible
Bosses 2” (15)
Directed by:
Sean Anders.
Starring: Jason
Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Chris Pine, Jennifer Aniston, Christoph
Waltz and Kevin Spacey.
Rated: ‘15’
for containing strong language and sex references.
Running
time: 108 minutes.
Released in
UK cinemas from the 28th of November, 2014.
2001 was a slow year for comedy, and without the insertion of a little, first rate Rom-Com named “Crazy Stupid Love”, not much was on offer. But Warner Bros did manage to release “Horrible Bosses”, a fresh comedy which didn’t necessarily rely on previous instalments or relatable franchises to succeed. With a virtually unknown main cast, the film was indeed a gamble, but became a financial and (partly) critical hit. For me, the film brought my mind to the point of exhaustion; the entire film was filled with overused gags and excessively crude sequences, prompting me to stop watching as soon as possible. Goodness only knows what held my interest. It definitely wasn’t Jennifer Anniston, that’s for sure. Now three years later after that huge misfire, I learned that Warner Bros were making a sequel. I wasn’t prepared for another instalment of mindless comedy, and was dreading its release. But I was pleasantly surprised, as this well casted film proved my expectations wrong, with me laughing all the way through.
After ridding themselves of their previous bosses, Nick (Bateman), Dale (Day) and Kurt (Sudeikis) have decided to become their own bosses by creating their very own business. Based around the invention of their product “The Shower Buddy”, the trio decided to go into business with a slick investor (Waltz) and his son (Pine, proving to be a surprisingly hilarious and brilliant addition to the cast), in order to distribute the products. However, when the dastardly pair of investor’s double cross the dumbfounded group, they decide to hatch a mentally inept plan to kidnap the investor’s adult son and force the father to pay a ransom, in order to retake their company. Chaotic results ensue…
Sequels rarely work, and I definitely didn’t envisage “Horrible Bosses 2” scoring points for originality, but it has attempted to try something different in relation to them becoming bosses themselves, which is interesting. This latest instalment succeeds in its ambitions by producing a self-aware script and perhaps the craziest performance of Pine’s career to date, involving a scene in which we see him “Fight Clubbing himself”. Trust me, you’ll understand soon enough. The previous film’s problem was that it held back far too much on the comedy which works such as the dark murderous aspects, but it seems as though “Horrible Bosses 2” has learned from its mistakes and returned with a hilarious script written by Sean Anders and John Morris (the pair have taken over from the previous writers), which surprises through its constant use of pop-culture references (the “Nine To Five” reference is ace) and manic performances from its cast.
At this point everyone seems firmly seated within their roles, and both Dale and Sudeikis’s chemistry works extremely well with one another, providing the majority of laughs in certain scenes. The addition of Pine was a brilliant idea, as the usually dramatic actor turns in a wonderfully ecstatic performance which prompts the question, why can’t he act in more of these films? Waltz’s presence seems wasted however, as the celebrated star of “Django Unchained” provides a generic phone-in performance, and adds very little to the film’s already hectic style. Bateman’s character was the clear leader in the original film, yet it seems as though his part has been reduced to a mere supporting role, with him accompanying the other actors, but seeming uninterested throughout. The celebrity cameos also seem a little forced at times, with Aniston resorting to bellowing many crude jokes, and not developing her character whatsoever. Although, the return of Kevin Spacey is most definitely welcome.
Verdict
Occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, but seemingly desperate to discover far more intriguing side-splitting gags, “Horrible Bosses 2” improves upon its predecessor by upping the idiocy of the original, and adding Chris Pine’s uproarious performance into the mix. A needless sequel it may be, but through the bizarre antics of our heroes, I was gleefully drawn into their stupidity.
After ridding themselves of their previous bosses, Nick (Bateman), Dale (Day) and Kurt (Sudeikis) have decided to become their own bosses by creating their very own business. Based around the invention of their product “The Shower Buddy”, the trio decided to go into business with a slick investor (Waltz) and his son (Pine, proving to be a surprisingly hilarious and brilliant addition to the cast), in order to distribute the products. However, when the dastardly pair of investor’s double cross the dumbfounded group, they decide to hatch a mentally inept plan to kidnap the investor’s adult son and force the father to pay a ransom, in order to retake their company. Chaotic results ensue…
Sequels rarely work, and I definitely didn’t envisage “Horrible Bosses 2” scoring points for originality, but it has attempted to try something different in relation to them becoming bosses themselves, which is interesting. This latest instalment succeeds in its ambitions by producing a self-aware script and perhaps the craziest performance of Pine’s career to date, involving a scene in which we see him “Fight Clubbing himself”. Trust me, you’ll understand soon enough. The previous film’s problem was that it held back far too much on the comedy which works such as the dark murderous aspects, but it seems as though “Horrible Bosses 2” has learned from its mistakes and returned with a hilarious script written by Sean Anders and John Morris (the pair have taken over from the previous writers), which surprises through its constant use of pop-culture references (the “Nine To Five” reference is ace) and manic performances from its cast.
Verdict
Occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, but seemingly desperate to discover far more intriguing side-splitting gags, “Horrible Bosses 2” improves upon its predecessor by upping the idiocy of the original, and adding Chris Pine’s uproarious performance into the mix. A needless sequel it may be, but through the bizarre antics of our heroes, I was gleefully drawn into their stupidity.
6 Stars out of 10
Written by Scott Gentry.
Film/TV Rating Key
1-2 stars out of ten = Awful.
3-4 stars out of ten = Average.
5-6 stars out of ten = Good.
7-8 stars out of ten = Excellent.
9-10 stars out of ten = Amazing.
Trailer
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