6/10

The worlds of three working stiffs get turned upside down once again in this sequel to the 2011 smash comedy. After Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day), and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) decide to launch their own business, Burt Hanson (Christoph Waltz), a savvy investor, appears to take them down. With no other viable option in sight, the trio decide to kidnap Hanson’s son Rex (Chris Pine) in order to put up a ransom to take back their business. If fans of the original film are expecting the same kind of laughs, they are sorely in for disappointment. That doesn’t mean that “Horrible Bosses 2” doesn’t stand on it’s own two legs. Infact, i was quite surprised to see the kind of negativity that this film has received from reviewers because it’s honestly not that terrible. The film is nowhere near as funny or tells as compelling as a story as that of it’s predecessor, but it does include the on par comedic timing of our three protagonists. Their characters do include a big change in the department of Sudeikis taking a bigger backseat to Bateman and Day, and all three of the characters reaching asinine levels of stupidity. As to where “Boy Meets World” made Eric Matthews dumber as the seasons went on, so to does “Horrible Bosses 2” for it’s main cast. The arguing between them does ruin a lot of laughs, as it feels like you are listening to your children going back and forth in the backseat. Some of our favorites from the original film do make enjoyable returns even if their presence feels unnecessary. Jennifer Anniston owns the movie once again as the sex crazed Julia Harris, Kevin Spacey makes two appearances from prison that don’t last more than 5 minutes total, and Jamie Foxx returns as (Expletive) Jones. Foxx feels more like a team member in this film, as he has a bigger role in this sequel. It feels like he legitimately cares about these three knuckleheads beyond just a payday. Pine is by far the best part of the movie. He seems to bring a lot of the charm taken from the absent Colin Ferrell that made him stand out in the first film. I would like to see Pine experiment more with villain roles, as It felt like he was having the time of his life in this role. The storyline certainly could’ve used a re-draft as it’s just not viable that people are fighting tooth and nail for this product that is basically just a typical showerhead. It’s even more of a stretch that these three idiots who couldn’t agree on a shopping list, let alone an actual kidnapping can create a multi million dollar company and run it successfully. The character change is probably the only true thing that i hated about this film. Sudeikis just feels wasted, as i feel he has the most comedic potential of the three men. Surprisingly, one thing i found noteworthy about the film was the soundtrack. Other than Katy Perry’s “Roar” which is played up for laughs, the film is shot with adrenaline from the plan devising moments of The Heavy’s “How You Like Me Now” to the fast paced car chase scenes of Timbaland’s “Throw It On Me”. If director Sean Anders does one thing right, it’s the perfect complimentary toe tapping tunes to match his scenes. Overall, i think “Horrible Bosses 2” is an acceptable sequel to a film that is clearly much better. It’s nothing extraordinary and will probably be forgettable in a couple of years, the comedy does take risks that payoff without being as dark as the original. I recommend it for a nice night at home.