Horrible Bosses (3½ Stars)

I thought I would take a break from the Ray Harryhausen films. Don't worry, I'll get back to them. "Horrible Bosses" has been on my to-watch list for a few months. I first noticed it when I saw a trailer for it on another DVD. That's something I do. I always watch the film trailers included on DVDs, if they're films I haven't seen yet. It's a simulated cinema experience.

According to Wikipedia, "Horrible Bosses" is the most successful black comedy of all time, having taken over $200 million at the box office, despite its humour being racist, homophobic, and misogynistic. Or maybe we should say it's because the humour is racist, homophobic, and misogynistic. Good humour is never politically correct.

The film centres on three friends, Nick, Kurt and Dale. Nick works in an office for a tyrannical boss who works him hard and denies him promotion. Kurt has worked happily for years in a company, but after his boss's death the new boss, his drug addicted son, is threatening to ruin the company. Dale works as a dental assistant and is being sexually harassed by his female boss, the dentist. They're all suffering, even Dale, so together they hatch a plot to kill their bosses. Unfortunately, murder isn't easy if you've never done it before.

For me this was a fun romp. I enjoyed it, but it had no real substance that would make me want to watch it again. Some films are only intended to be viewed once, maybe I shouldn't penalise it for that. I can recommend it to my readers who want some mindless fun. Maybe people can relate to it, because everyone hates their boss. Sometimes. On the other hand, if I ever had a boss who's a sex-crazed maneater I think I could deal with it.