‘Horrible Bosses 2’ DVD Review
Stars: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz, Jonathan Banks, Lindsay Sloane | Written by Sean Anders, John Morris | Directed by Sean Anders
If ever there was a film that was not ripe for a sequel, it was Horrible Bosses. That film had a finite story, with the trio of idiots: Bateman, Sudeikis and Day, finally getting their comeuppance of their titular bosses. But of course this is Hollywood, where a film that – even when a story doesn’t warrant a sequel – if it makes enough money studio heads will go back to the well enough times to drain it dry… Hence we have Horrible Bosses 2.
This time round directing duties lie with Sean Anders, who penned the script with his frequent writing cohort Jim Morris, both of whom were behind one of the THE best teen movies of the past ten years, the brilliant Sex Drive and wrote the fantastic We’re The Millers – which also featured two of the stars of this movie, Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston.
So what’s the plot? Well after the events of the first film, Nick Hendricks (Bateman), Kurt Buckman (Sudeikis) and Dale Arbus (Day) decide to go into business together, sans bosses, with their invention, the ‘Shower Buddy’. However, their investor (Waltz) pulls his funding and instead creates his own superior version of their product. In an attempt to save their business, the trio enlist the help of ex-con Dean Jones (Foxx) and kidnap and hold to ransom the investor’s grown-up son Rex (Pine), who actually seems pleased with the situation.
Guess what? Turns out despite the obvious lack of story available (I thought) for the sequel, Horrible Bosses 2 actually works. Even better, it’s actually funny! Once again it’s our trio of leads that make the film work – with straight man Jason Bateman taking much of the films, admittedly flimsy, plot on his shoulders whilst Charlie Day – so good in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – is reduced to little more than a manic bumbling wreck. Thank god then for Jennifer Aniston, who reprises her role as the sexually-charged dentist Julia and steals the movie once again thanks to her MILF-tastic performance.
Horrible Bosses 2 also sees the return of both Kevin Spacey and Jaime Foxx from the original movie, both of whom are shoe-horned into the plot in much the same way as Aniston’s character, yet their characters provide some of the films most memorable moments, thanks to the cracking script by Anders and Morris, which is packed with more out-and-out humour than the original. Coupled with Anders’ kinetic direction there’s nar a moment to pause for a breathe inbetween laughs!
If you loved the original movie then you’re gundoubtedly going to love Horrible Bosses 2. The film hits DVD and Blu-ray (in an extended cut) on March 30th.