Writer: Dhivashini

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Watch this if you liked: “Hangover 2”, “40 Year Old Virgin”

From the director that brought us "Four Christmases" (2008) and "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" (2007), Seth Gordon delivers a dark comedy packed with crude humour and explicit references with "Horrible Bosses". The movie stars Jason Bateman (Nick), Jason Sudeikis (Kurt) and Charlie Day (Dale) as frustrated employees. Throw in over-the-top pain in the ass employers, and you get a perfect combo of 'kill or be killed'.

Working at a place where your boss is not only difficult but aims to make your life a living hell, can only make you do two things in this case; Quit, or kill your boss. These three friends opt for the latter and of course in true nature of all dark comedies, things are bound to go horribly wrong. In this case, the cops are involved and you're one of the suspects. This movie will either make you feel thankful that we do not have such employers or painfully remind you of your own working environment.

A story like "Horrible Bosses" needs to be elevated by the performances of the actors and that's what they do. The three friends show a perfectly balanced chemistry where each of them have different personas that mesh well together. The three lead actors each bring a different set of humor to the screen. Even Jennifer Aniston who plays a crazy sex-driven dentist manages to show that coming onto your subordinate is not something any man wants. Colin Farrel plays a role against his type and proves to be the perfect tool that you love to hate.

A comedy film tends to strike a chord with different people. Audiences have different senses of humor so it may not appeal to one individual even if it gets a loud "haha" from another. The dilemma faced by these three friends is exaggerated into a comical and degrading proportion and it is surely entertaining. The humor may be bordering on being tasteless but it definitely got laughs out of the audience. It is not the funniest black comedy but with good chemistry among the characters something definitely works here. Not to undermine the scriptwriting of Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein. They definitely show their skills of witty one-liners that fits the bill.

All in all, the timeliness of the comedy and laughs proves to be entertaining enough and watchable. Not the best comedy but it would certainly not leave you wanting to cry yourself out of the theatre. The actors are naturally funny and at the end of any comedy film, that's what sells best.

Cinema Online, 05 August 2011