A surprise hit on its release in 2011, it was inevitable that Horrible Bosses would spawn a sequel, and here we are, with Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day returning as Nick, Kurt, and Dale, whose plan to kill their respective bosses didn't work out entirely according to plan first time round. Things are different now, with the trio themselves the bosses, going into business manufacturing a handy invention to make shower time easier. But when they are conned by ruthless investor Burt Hansen (Christoph Waltz), they fall back into old habits, kidnapping Burt's son Rex (Chris Pine). But just like murder, they don't have an aptitude for kidnapping either.
While the original was a nice, somewhat fresh slice of R rated comedy, Horrible Bosses 2 is definitely treading water, rehashing old jokes and plot points to a much lesser effect. The movie mostly gets by on the same virtue of the first movie, an incredibly game cast. The lead trio of Bateman, Sudeikis and Day have these characters down perfectly, been the incredibly likable, inept losers we came to know and warm to. Much like the rest of the movie, they go bigger than before, with Sudiekis and Day becoming much more of a two man buffoon to Bateman's straight man. Their snappy banter leads to some pretty funny running jokes, the best involving a white board and a sharpie, but their schtick gets old pretty fast, the laughs they deliver becoming few and far between as the movie marches on. The three remaining cast members from the original, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Jennifer Aniston, are welcome editions, with Spacey and Foxx making the most of their limited screen time. Aniston does feel tacked on. Her sex crazed character was a highlight of the original, and it's basically more of the same here, but hearing some of the filthy things that come out of her mouth is still a hoot. Chris Pine does shake things up as the spoilt rich kid ready to stick it to the old man, masterminding his own kidnapping as Nick, Kurt, and Dale look on, exasperated. He's the shot in the arm the movie needed in it's second act, whether he's 'fight clubbing' himself, or coaching our heroes through their hare brained scheme. He's a ball of comedic energy, showing off a rich, mainly untapped talent for the genre. Waltz, on the other hand, never really gets to do more than be the stern father figure, disappearing for huge swaths of time, and been woefully underused.
The plot does promise to throw us some curveballs in the first act, but as soon as the Hansen's are introduced, it becomes just the original again, even repeating scenes and narrative beats to the letter. The trio break into their target's house and get drugged? Yep. The police suspect them early on? In there too. It even features a third act car chase. But it does keep you chuckling, even when you feel you shouldn't be. Replacing original director Seth Gordon, Sean Anders (who wrote the script with fellow We're the Millers scribe John Morris) delivers some suspect, lowest common denominator gags to keep the laughs coming. Admittedly they mostly hit, but not with the frequency Ander's obviously wants.
A pale imitation of the original, Horrible Bosses 2 does succeed in being entertaining and making you laugh, all thanks to a cast that keeps the comedy ticking over.
While the original was a nice, somewhat fresh slice of R rated comedy, Horrible Bosses 2 is definitely treading water, rehashing old jokes and plot points to a much lesser effect. The movie mostly gets by on the same virtue of the first movie, an incredibly game cast. The lead trio of Bateman, Sudeikis and Day have these characters down perfectly, been the incredibly likable, inept losers we came to know and warm to. Much like the rest of the movie, they go bigger than before, with Sudiekis and Day becoming much more of a two man buffoon to Bateman's straight man. Their snappy banter leads to some pretty funny running jokes, the best involving a white board and a sharpie, but their schtick gets old pretty fast, the laughs they deliver becoming few and far between as the movie marches on. The three remaining cast members from the original, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, and Jennifer Aniston, are welcome editions, with Spacey and Foxx making the most of their limited screen time. Aniston does feel tacked on. Her sex crazed character was a highlight of the original, and it's basically more of the same here, but hearing some of the filthy things that come out of her mouth is still a hoot. Chris Pine does shake things up as the spoilt rich kid ready to stick it to the old man, masterminding his own kidnapping as Nick, Kurt, and Dale look on, exasperated. He's the shot in the arm the movie needed in it's second act, whether he's 'fight clubbing' himself, or coaching our heroes through their hare brained scheme. He's a ball of comedic energy, showing off a rich, mainly untapped talent for the genre. Waltz, on the other hand, never really gets to do more than be the stern father figure, disappearing for huge swaths of time, and been woefully underused.
The plot does promise to throw us some curveballs in the first act, but as soon as the Hansen's are introduced, it becomes just the original again, even repeating scenes and narrative beats to the letter. The trio break into their target's house and get drugged? Yep. The police suspect them early on? In there too. It even features a third act car chase. But it does keep you chuckling, even when you feel you shouldn't be. Replacing original director Seth Gordon, Sean Anders (who wrote the script with fellow We're the Millers scribe John Morris) delivers some suspect, lowest common denominator gags to keep the laughs coming. Admittedly they mostly hit, but not with the frequency Ander's obviously wants.
A pale imitation of the original, Horrible Bosses 2 does succeed in being entertaining and making you laugh, all thanks to a cast that keeps the comedy ticking over.
