Horrible Bosses 2 (Rated T)
Cast: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston
Genre: Comedy
Dwight's Rating:2.5
It's not horrible!
"Horrible Bosses 2" is actually not bad at all. It could, of course, have been a disaster, as is often the case with comedy sequels.
Unlike this year's "22 Jump Street" -- which was actually a great improvement over its predecessor, "21 Jump Street" -- most films in this genre squander the goodwill of their originals, with pathetic, lackluster sequels. Just see (or actually, don't see!] the sad follow-ups to "The Hangover, for example.
But "Horrible Bosses 2" for the most part, avoids some of the most common pitfalls, and is funny and entertaining. While some of the television promos have been proclaiming it to be "better than the original," that's quite a bit of a stretch. The new one is saddled with a familiarity that is lacking the unpredictability and the sense of the unknown that made "Horrible Bosses" such a blockbuster.
The sequel picks up on the heels of that 2011 black comedy in which three friends decide to murder their respective, abusive bosses. Everyone returns from the original cast -- Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey -- except Colin Farrell (and if you've seen the original, then you know why).
This time around, tired of always answering to others, Nick (Bateman), Dale (Day) and Kurt (Sudeikis) go into business for themselves. The guys demonstrate a prototype for an invention, which attracts the attention of a millionaire Bert (Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz) and his son Rex (Chris Pine), who decide to invest in the company. But when the deal goes sour, leaving the guys in massive debt, they decide the only answer is to kidnap Rex and use the ransom money to pay off their loans.
Of course, things don't go as they plan.
What ensues is not as dark and nor clever as the original.
Most of the blame goes to the storyline, which is much simpler and weaker. But there are still many laugh-out-loud moments.
The best part of the movie is the talented cast. As in the original, Jennifer Aniston steals the show with her role as aggressive, man-eating, sex-addicted, lunatic dentist, Julia. Jamie Foxx is also mildly funny as ("MoFo") Jones. And new addition Chris Pine is hilarious as the demented brat Rex.
The core trio of Bateman-Day-Sudeikis is still amusing. But there is a sense of been-there-done-that. While Bateman as the straight-man in the group is great as always, Sudeikis and especially Day's characters seem to be much dumber and more ridiculous than before. And Day, especially, now seems much more like the bumbling (but very funny) idiot he plays on his TV series "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". His high-pitched screeching is just this close to being exceptionally annoying.
I also have a concern about the film's local rating. While receiving an R-rating in the United States (US), here it is rated T (theater-goers ages 15-and-over do not need a parent) instead of a C-rating (anyone 18 and over). That's curious. This year's very raunchy Seth Rogan comedy "Neighbors" earned a C. And while "HB2" does not have as much nudity, there are certainly adult themes and a heaping serving of adult language. (I can't recall a recent film with as many f-bombs!)
A fifth-place opening weekend in the US makes it highly unlikely that we'll see a third installment in this franchise. Nevertheless, a good time can be had, especially if viewed on its own, and not in the shadow of the original. So overall ...not horrible at all.

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