Horrible Bosses 2
Rated: MA
Three out of five
Now showing
I WISH I could give half stars because Horrible Bosses 2 is the perfect three-and-a-half star film.
Not brilliant but still worth a watch, particularly if you’ve seen the first one.
The film sees the return of Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day), this time trying to get their own business off the ground.
With a “revolutionary” shower head design ready to make them millions, the trio approach investor Bert Hanson (Christopher Waltz) and his son Rex Hanson (Chris Pine) with their product.
Things go pear-shaped, as expected and as they stand on the brink of a foreclosure, they make the decision to kidnap Rex for ransom.
When it turns out their hostage wants money out of his father as well, they all team up to create the perfect fake ransom situation, the plan being Rex will say someone else took him.
When a sequel to the original film was announced I wasn’t sure how they could possibly come up with a new storyline which revolved around people hating their bosses.
There is nothing more to add to it, I thought, but I was wrong.
Horrible Bosses 2 brought something new to the table without rehashing the same plot points as the first film – something which a lot of sequels seem to do nowadays.
However, there really aren’t any standout moments to have audiences after they leave the cinema.
While I still sing the lyrics to The Ting Tings’ That’s Not My Name in true Charlie Day form, as featured in the first movie, Horrible Bosses 2 didn’t give me such a moment.
Sure I laughed but once the film was over, that was it; I had already moved on from it.
Bateman, Sudeikis and Dale have a brilliant comedic relationship together, something which is carried on from the first film, but I think what they might have been lacking is interaction with other characters.
Jennifer Aniston, who played sex-crazed maniac Julia, is back in the second film and is one such character the trio could have interacted with more effectively to great a memorable comedic moment.
Aniston was responsible for a lot of the laughs as it was but it just didn’t reach the next level.
All that said, it is a solid comedy.
If you need something to make you smile on a lazy Sunday afternoon then Horrible Bosses 2 can definitely help with that.
I just don’t think it will go down in the comedy hall of fame.
