Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • July 20, 2011 Friends hatch murderous plot in ‘Horrible Bosses’ by Dennis Seuling Pals Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) share a problem. Each works for a boss who uses power and authority to make their lives hell. Nick, in line for a promotion, has been swallowing his pride for months, suffering daily indignities from his boss, Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey). Harken has been holding this pending promotion over Nick’s head to make him put in crazy hours, give up time with his family, and jump to his every whim. Kurt works for Jack Pellit, a man who treats him like a son, but when Jack dies suddenly, the business falls to his irresponsible son, Bobby (Colin Farrell), whose priorities run to getting high on cocaine, having prostitutes entertain him during office hours, and milking the business for every cent he can. Dale, a dental hygienist, works for Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston), who is hardly subtle about her daily advances, using provocative clothing and assorted dental equipment to make dentistry a sideline to her sexual predation. Dale, engaged to be married, resists, but cannot quit or risk being fired due to limited employment possibilities since he has been labeled a sex offender when he was caught relieving himself near a schoolyard. So he endures Julia’s indignities day after day. Complaining about their bosses from hell in a bar one night, the guys speculate on how good they would feel about killing their bosses. The more they talk with alcohol-hazed brains, the more they think the idea can work. Being law-abiding citizens whose only knowledge of crime comes from episodes of “Law & Order,” they realize they need someone else to commit the murders. Driving to a bar in the dregs of the city, they encounter the shady Mr. Jones (Jamie Foxx), who becomes their technical adviser, explaining how to go about the crimes without being caught. Borrowing a few plot points from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train,” the trio sets out to plan the murders by doing surveillance on the three Kevin Spacey, Jason Bateman, and Charlie Day in ‘Horrible Bosses.’ targets to learn their habits. Even though its premise comes from the “dark comedy” shelf, this is a very funny Everyman decency. film. The problem in a movie like this is keeping the viewer Day’s Dale gets laughs from the sexual harassment on the side of the protagonists even when they are engaged theme. The fact that his antagonist is a beautiful woman in planning the most heinous of crimes. Nick, Kurt, and only enhances the comedy as he struggles daily to resist Dale are so inept, bungling, and unprofessional as they the temptations Julia so lavishly and continuously provides. muddle through the preliminaries that the viewer can only Viewers like him because of his haplessness and loyalty to chuckle at their awkward efforts. his fiancée, so even though he is involved in a crazy, murBateman’s Nick is the most down-to-earth of the lot, and derous scheme, the audience goes along for the comic ride. he appears to be hardworking and unfairly treated by a man For a long time, Hollywood steered clear of R-rated who openly disdains him. So he immediately elicits empa- comedies, fearing this rating would cut off a large segment thy. Kurt also appears to be a nice guy, though his Achil- of its audience. Films were toned down and given a PGles heel is clearly women. At work, though, he loves the 13 rating. This led to a glut of mediocre “comedies” that job and co-workers and feels an integral part of the com- often paled next to better TV sitcoms. The R rating allows pany until Bobby fills the boss’ chair. Sudeikis manages the filmmakers greater breadth in creating the gags. It’s not to deliver some nifty comic dialogue while conveying an (continued on Crossword page) 2011 K A S S C H AU �������������������������� ��������������� ������������������������������������ ������������������������������������������������� MEMORIAL SHELL ������������������������� ������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������� � �������������������������� � ����������������� � ������� ��������������������������������������������������� ����������������� � �������������������������� � ���������������� � ����������������������� � ���������������� � ��������������������� ������������������������������������������ �������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������