Horrible Bosses 2 (5/10): Some laughs, but you can't help but feel it's a waste of a strong cast

“I hate to break it to you, but the American dream is in China.”

I was a huge fan of the first film so I had some expectations for this sequel considering Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine were the new additions to an already impressive cast. What could go wrong with a comedy I had already enjoyed starring three Oscar winners? A lot when you bring in a new director whose most popular film up to now was That’s My Boy. The sequel tries to bank off the success from the strong chemistry between the three lead actors (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day), but unfortunately the formula felt repetitive and excessive at times. As much as I enjoyed their chemistry there were some moments that felt forced this time around. I am glad they didn’t repeat the same scenario from the first film and tried to change the structure of the comedy by centering on a kidnap attempt, but despite some funny scenes the sequel still falls flat by repeating some of the jokes from the first movie. Chris Pine was an excellent addition and once again the cameos from Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Aniston, and Kevin Spacey are the highlight of the film, but I was expecting a lot more from Christoph Waltz, who’s an actor I highly admire. I think he could be great in this sort of comical villainous role, but he was underused here. All in all, Horrible Bosses 2 fails to deliver the same amount of laughs as the original but it still remains as a watchable and entertaining comedy. 2014 has yet to deliver a satisfying comedy, but if you’re bored this is a sequel that will keep you entertained for a while. 

I actually found the first half of this film a bit stronger than the second half. It begins with a lot of promise introducing some of the new characters while centering on the relationship between the three amigos. Chris Pine is hilarious as well and he plays off the leads very well. There are several funny moments including the cameos with Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, and Jennifer Aniston who you can tell is very uncomfortable with the dialogue she has to say but pulls it off nonetheless. The weakest part of the film is the resolution which in my opinion was a bit exaggerated, and many people might find the jokes offensive. It doesn’t come close to matching the potential of the original film, but I didn’t hate it either. The film is silly, but the cast makes it a worthwhile experience elevating the dull material and making it a little more fun than it had the right to be.

My Review: We're the Millers (5/10)

"This is not a smidge of pot! You got me moving enough weed to kill Willie Nelson, man!"

We're the Millers is a raunchy comedy with some funny moments. It's an entertaining movie, but ultimately the script felt a bit lazy. The premise and the cast promised more, but director Rawson Marshall Thurber uses jokes and gags we've seen in other comedies. I did laugh at several scenes and there were some great lines, but I can't just judge a comedy based on that because usually I will laugh at anything. You know there is a problem with a comedy when all the audience laughs more during the end credits in the blooper reals than during the entire film. There are some awkward and uncomfortable scenes as well, and I didn't like the fact that they made all the lovable families look uncool and act as dorks in this film.  Jason Sudeikis is a great actor and I would love to see him starring in more comedies. He has great comedic timing and delivers his lines with a perfect precision. Jennifer Aniston is also a very likable actress despite the fact that she really hasn't made a great film, but there is something about her that draws the audience. Will Poulter was the star of this film as he had the funniest scenes. He didn't have to say much, his facial expression alone was hilarious. This is the first comedy I've seen him in, although he did have some funny scenes in the last Narnia movie. Emma Roberts was probably the weakest link in this film, but I wouldn't blame her because her character was the least developed in the film. Ed Helms was a big disappointment for me here, his performance was way over the top, but Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) was effortlesly hilarious. I was a huge fan of Thurber's earlier film, Dodgeball (perhaps one of the few people who enjoyed that movie), but I can't give him a passing grade for this movie although I didn't have a bad time either.

David (Jason Sudeikis) is a low profile pot dealer who receives his supplies from Brad Gurdlinger (Ed Helms). After getting robbed during a deal, Brad forces him to go to Mexico and bring back his latest marihuana shipment in order to pay his debt. Being a small dealer David has no idea how to cross the border as he realizes the consequences his actions may have. He believes that the best way to cross the border safely will be pretending he is on a family trip. The only problem is that he is single so he gets a local stripper named Rose (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend she is his wife, a streetwise angry teen named Casey (Emma Roberts), and his kind hearted neighbor Kenny (Will Poulter) to pretend they are his kids. He plans on getting across the border without problems by driving his apparently wonderful family on their big RV.

The funniest scene in the movie happened during the final credits, but I also though there were some funny moments here and there, like when Kenny realizes that David is paying Rose and Casey to come along with him, or when Kenny gets bit by a spider. I also enjoyed some of the pop cultural references like when David thought he was going to be killed because of the plastic he was standing on claiming to know what it means because he has watched Dexter. The cameo with Luis Guzman was pretty funny as well. Those were some of the silly moments, but nothing that stood out or that I will probably remember tomorrow. The film is predictable and you know where it is heading, but it still is an enjoyable movie.

My Review: Horrible Bosses (8/10)

¨You can't win a marathon without putting some band aids on your nipples! ¨

I`ve been on a hot streak recently with comedies; this is the third one in a row that I`ve found really funny. The laughs began with Bridesmaids, then came Cedar Rapids, and now Horrible Bosses; another hilarious comedy that perhaps is a little more mainstream than the others and has more stereotypical characters, but it is saved by the wonderful cast who really got a lot of laughs off me. Sometimes it can be hilarious to make fun of some of these stereotypes, especially when we are dealing with bosses. The characters aren`t deep or anything, they are more of caricatures than normal people, but that is ok because when a comedy is done right it totally works. The plot of the story isn’t new either; we`ve seen it before in other movies and the film even mentions them. So why did I have such a fun time with this film? The cast was brilliant! We got to see Jennifer Aniston in a role that I never thought she would do; she says things you`d never think would come out of her mouth. Then you have the rest of the cast all delivering several laughs. Sometimes the actors have such a great chemistry together that the movie just clicks and you find all the situations funny. It`s like when you hear a joke that isn`t that funny, but the person who tells it does it in such a great way that you just can`t stop laughing. The cast makes this R-rated comedy worth it and I had a great time with Horrible Bosses.

The premise of the story is pretty simple: it`s about three friends who hate their bosses (extremely horrible ones) and begin talking about how they wish they would die. They can`t just quit their jobs because they run into an old schoolmate of theirs who shows them how difficult it is to get a job during the recession. Their only option seems to be to kill their bosses. Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman) works for Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) at an important business company. Nick has worked really hard the last few months in order to get the promotion he has been expecting for a long time. Dave however gets upset because Nick happened to show up two minutes late one day to work and doesn’t give him the promotion he rightfully deserves, and goes as far as blackmailing him so he won`t quit either. Dale (Charlie Day) works as a dental assistant for Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston) who sexually harasses him and claims she will tell Dale`s fiancé that they`ve had sex if he doesn’t sleep with her. Dale can’t get a job anywhere else because he`s been mistakenly charged with a child sex offence for peeing in a park near to a school. Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) on the other hand loves his job and his boss Jack Pellit (Donald Sutherland), but unfortunately he suffers a heart attack and passes away, leaving the company in his coke addict son`s hands: Bobby (Colin Farrell). He wants to cuts expenses and tells Kurt that he must fire all the obese and disabled employers. Kurt, Dale, and Nick get together and decide the only solution to their problems is murdering each other`s boss.

Horrible Bosses is extremely funny, despite the strong language. It has memorable performances from Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, and Colin Farrell in roles we are not used to seeing them in. Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, and Jason Bateman are extremely funny in every scene they are together in; their chemistry was just great. The situations these guys got themselves into was hilarious; beginning from trying to hire a hitman online (with a really funny cameo from Ioan Gruffudd), to getting criminal advice from an ex-con named Dean MF Jones (played by Jamie Foxx), ending up breaking into Bobby`s house and accidently sniffing some of his cocaine. Charlie Day also gets some laughs while lip singing to The Ting Tings ¨That`s Not My Name¨ while staking Dave`s house. I had a really great time during the entire movie, and there are just too many memorable scenes to point them all out. All I can say is that you should go check out this movie if you ever felt like you had it bad with your boss. I guarantee you won`t complain anymore after seeing what these guys had to put up with. Seth Gordon did a great job with the direction of this film and I highly recommend it if you`re in the mood for laughing.

  

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