5-Word 365 #357 – Horrible Bosses

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, but Netflix was on the blink so I had to go with a random blu-ray instead.

Horrible Bosses

It’s Always Sunny: The Movie.

Three friends all hate their bosses, for different reasons. Nick’s boss is a bullying psychopath who rules over his employees like a tyrant. Kurt’s boss is a paranoid coke fiend who thinks people in wheelchairs are up to something, while Dale’s boss is a nymphomaniac who is trying to blackmail Dale into having sex with her before his wedding. The guys decide that the only way to be free of these monsters is to kill them. Along with a “murder consultant” called Motherfucker Jones, these three upstanding pillars of society start plotting death and destruction. Hilarity ensues.

Over the last two or three weeks, just about every spare minute of my time has been spent on Netflix blasting through the first seven seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. If Nick, Kurt and Dale had been named Dennis, Mac and Charlie, this story would not have seemed out of place centred around Paddy’s. As far as I’m concerned, that is high praise indeed. Jasons Bateman and Sudeikis and Charlie Day absolutely nail their roles as the three homicidal heroes in this wish-fulfilment story for anyone who ever hated their job. Whether alone or in any combination, these three are always taking full advantage of the script by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Even when that script goes to some potentially tricky places – such as the Dale’s sexual harassment troubles – the performances make it work.

The gang kill their bosses.

But of the course a hero is only as good as his villain, and in Horrible Bosses we have three champions. Kevin Spacey is obviously relishing the chance to channel a bit of Buddy Ackerman as Nick’s boss Harken. Colin Farrell is almost unrecognisable under a magnificent comb-over and pot belly as Kurt’s jefe Bobby Pellitt, but the prize goes to Jennifer Aniston as Dale’s dentist from hell. In the real world this woman would probably be in prison many times over, but Aniston’s portrayal and – just as importantly – the way she bounces off Day result in a truly fantastic character. In all honesty though, if I was being sexually harassed by Jennifer Aniston I don’t think I would mind all that much. That woman just seems to get better with every passing year.

If he wants to swap jobs, I’ll be the first to volunteer

I’d like to write quite a bit more about this flick, but I’m on a boat right now and there is a very real possibility that I will vomit at any second, so I’m going to put the laptop away and try to sleep through it. Until tomorrow, amigos…