“Horrible Bosses 2” offers nothing new.
I went into “Horrible Bosses 2” with a positive mindset. I had after all watched the first “Horrible Bosses” when it was released in 2011 and I enjoyed it, plus the trailer for “Horrible Bosses 2” was rather promising so I figured, why not right? Anyway, fast-forward to about 3 years and here I was, ready for yet another misadventure with Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), and Dale (Charlie Day).
If you watched the first “Horrible Bosses”, you’d remember Nick, Kurt and Dale – the 3 regular Joes who haplessly tried to murder their bosses in the first movie, they now return as hopeful entrepreneurs, as their own bosses.
Having come up with their own product “Shower Buddy”, the trio launch a startup business that unfortunately goes sour when bigwig investor Bert Hanson (Christopher Waltz) scams them, leaving them half a million dollars in debt. Outplayed, frustrated, and desperate − and with no legal recourse − Nick, Kurt, and Dale come up with a misguided scheme to kidnap the investor’s adult son, Rex (Chris Pine) and to demand for a ransom.
But of course, things take an unexpected turn (no surprise there, ey?) when Rex wants to give the guys a hand with their plan and swindle his dad out of $5 million, which honestly was loose change to Bert. From there, wackiness ensues − and so on and so forth. From cheesy lame jokes, to Jennifer Anniston’s crazy sex addiction, to the guys messing up their plan(s), the setup of “Horrible Bosses 2” is simple and straightforward as it borrows a lot of the same beats from the first movie.
The script, is probably the lousiest and weakest aspect of the movie for it was nothing but predictable − same sh*t, different day, you know what I mean? In terms of comedy, the gags range from somewhat funny to downright vulgar and offensive. I mean, the movie features several mean-spirited racist and sexist jokes that honestly, just failed to work.
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I won’t deny that there were some funny moments, but really, the whole movie felt flat. Also, you’ll probably notice that there weren’t really any “horrible bosses” in the sequel − unless you count Nick, Kurt, and Dale, whose collective morality has worsened since 3 years ago. Former bosses Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Anniston do return the role, with Spacey taking on a supporting role, but even that didn’t count for much.
Same goes for Jamie Foxx who returns as Motherf*cker Jones. Sure, he adds a little more laughter to the film, just like how he did in the first movie and well, that was about it. Personally, “Horrible Bosses 2” for me goes in the same category as the “Hangover” trilogy and “The Expendables” trilogy − nothing new, same thing all over again.
Some of you might enjoy it, some of you might not. I suggest you go into the cinema with an open mind and not expect too much from it. “Horrible Bosses 2” premieres in cinemas on November 27th (Thursday).
Watch the trailer below:
For more information, visit the movie’s website.
