The aptly if crudely named "Horrible Bosses," now playing at the Fandango Galaxy cineplex in Carson City, could be taken as an update on the Three Stooges, with Jason Bateman as Nick Hendricks, Charlie Dale as Dale Arbus and Jason Sudekis as Ken Buckman. Stooges fans may resent the comparison but it's pretty accurate, even down to the facial slaps of Curly, Moe and Larry.
Here Nick is bypassed by a conniving boss David Harken (Kevin Spacey) who gives himself the job Nick has been waiting for. Kurt is bypassed as company president.
And Arbus is pursued by his dentist boss Dr. Julia Harris (a very sexy Jennifer Aniston in scrubs like no dentists I know).
Nick, Dale and Kurt decide to bump off their bosses and go to a low bar in search of a hired gun and meet Jamie Foxx as Dean (M-F) Jones, who passes himself off as a hit man.
Things get complex when Nick's sponsor at his company dies and a coke-snorting sleaze named Bobby Pellitt (Colin Farrell) takes over ands blocks Nick's promotion amid call girls in the office. Harris blackmails Arbus and Bruckman has to deal with power-hungry boss.
The plot gets twisted and just to show that this is a modern comedy there is a car chase tossed in.
The cast works together smoothly (although Day's Arbus' squeaky voice gets on the nerves). Aniston is a rip as a sexy and sex-mad dentist and Spacey is a gem as a real actor among all the rest.
As summer movies go, and this one will be around for a while, "Horrible Bosses" offers and hour and a half of mixed pleasures, pretty good for this time of year. The lead trio may not measure up to the Three Stooges of yore, but they lighten the summer days amid an air conditioned cineplex. And it's just a drive to the south side of town and the Flamingo, where the air conditioning works quite well and the odds …. well you know whom the odds favor.
--- Sam Bauman
Cast
—Jason Bateman as Nick Hendricks
An executive who is passed over for promotion when his supervisor promotes himself. Markowitz wrote the role specifically for Bateman.
—Charlie Day as Dale Arbus
A dental assistant who suffers sexual harassment under his boss.
—Jason Sudeikis as Kurt Buckman[
An accountant dealing with a new, drug-addicted boss after his former boss dies
—Jennifer Aniston as Dr. Julia Harris
A dentist and Dale's boss who subjects him to sexual harassment.[2] In May 2010, Jennifer Aniston was in talks for the role of the "sexually aggressive dentist".[8] Markowitz based the character on a former boss, claiming her to be "very sexually aggressive with everybody". On choosing Aniston for the role, Markowitz continued "but [the aformentioned boss] looked more like Cruella De Vil. It was like flirting with a cobweb. So I decided for the sake of the movie, let’s go with Jennifer Aniston.”[3] When writing the script, Markowitz intended the role to be for Aniston.[4] Aniston insisted on dyeing her hair brunette for the role, wanting to look different from other characters she had played in her career.
—Colin Farrell as Bobby Pellitt
Kurt's boss. A cocaine-addicted, amoral chemical company manager. In May 2010, Farrell was in talks to play the character, described as a "weaselly scion".
—Kevin Spacey as Dave Harken
Nick's boss, who promotes himself to a new role at Nick's expense.[ Spacey signed on to the role in June 2010 Several actors including Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jeff Bridges were approached by New Line Cinema to take on the role described as a master manipulator with an attractive wife. The role is considered "integral" to the film. Gordon commented that the character was an amalgamation of several real bosses (rather than one single person) to avoid being sued.
—Jamie Foxx as Dean "Motherf--er" Jones
A hit-man and "murder consultant" who supplies Nick, Dale and Kurt with advice on committing murder. The character previously had the more "colorful" name.
Production
Directed by Seth Gordon
Produced by Brett Ratner and Jay Stern
Written by John Francis Daley
Jonathan M. Goldstein
Story by Michael Markowitz
Music by Christopher Lennertz
Cinematography David Hennings
Editing by Peter Teschner
Running time 98 minutes, rated R