Horrible Bosses 2
Director: Sean Anders
Cast: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Chris Pine, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, and Christoph Waltz.
Rated R for strong, crude sexual content and language throughout.
The original Horrible Bosses was a fun, clever idea that really succeeded on the comedy of its stars, Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis, while giving actors like Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, and Colin Farrell, the opportunity to have a lot of fun with their despicable roles. Horrible Bosses 2 is much sillier than its predecessor, but again, the chemistry between its three stars makes it work.
Nick, Kurt, and Dale (Bateman, Sudeikis, Day) have all left their jobs to work together in creating a new product that will put them on the path to starting their own business. When a wildly successful businessman, Bert Hanson (Waltz), and his partner/son, Rex (Pine), decide to buy 100,000 units of their product it seems like their dream is coming true. That is until Bert decides to cancel the order forcing the guys to face foreclosure on their business leaving Burt and Rex to reap all the profits off of their idea once they're out of the way. Now, the guys plan to seek revenge by kidnapping Rex for ransom to get their money back. They're in for a surprise, however, when they discover that Rex wants in on the ransom and forces them to ask his father for even more money.
Comedy sequels are extremely hard to pull off. Many other sequels just have to worry about moving the story forward, but with comedies no one really cares that much about the story. Audiences want to laugh as much as they did the first time without having to rehash the same jokes. 22 Jump Street is a great example of a successful comedy sequel that found its success by mocking itself the entire time. Dumb & Dumber To is a bad example that swings and misses more than it swings and hits. Horrible Bosses 2 is a decent comedy sequel that is often saved by comedic talents of Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis.
These guys are great together. There are many jokes that I missed simply because I was laughing from something one of them said just seconds before. The script makes them dumber than they were in the first film, which is sometimes a bit too silly and ridiculous, but these guys sell it so well, and they have a ball doing it. The plot is just different enough to put a fresh spin on the movie dealing with a kidnapping instead of framed murder. What makes it even more fun is Chris Pine. He has a blast joining these guys in screwing over his ruthless father. Pine definitely holds his own and is incredibly talented.
One of the film's drawbacks is the underutilized Christoph Waltz. Waltz is an Oscar-winning actor who audiences love to see be bad, and we only really get to see him do so in two or three scenes. He's so talented at delivering his dialogue, and yet he barely gets anything to say. It would have been nice to see his horrible character fleshed out just a bit more. Jennifer Aniston has never been that strong of an actress, but her role as the sex-obsessed Julia was probably her most daring in the original Horrible Bosses. While she brings the same raunchy humor she did the first time, you can't help but feel like her character was shoe-horned into the movie just because the filmmakers knew the audience wanted her back. She's still shocking and funny, but often unnecessary.
Bottom line, if you were a fan of the original, then chances are pretty high you'll still enjoy this follow-up. Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis are so good together that I know I'll continue to watch them if they decide to do a third.
RATING: B
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