Horrible Bosses opens with Nick, Dale, and Kurt describing their contentment with their work. Nick (Jason Bateman) works night and day at a high-powered company, Dale feels comfortable as a dental assistant and fiance, and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) enjoys working for a kindly boss (Donald Sutherland) in a family-like work environment. Unfortunately, Nick's boss Dave (Kevin Spacey) is cruel and manipulative, Dale's boss Julia (Jennifer Anniston) sexually harasses and blackmails him, and Kurt's boss dies only to be replaced by his decadent, moronic, and mean son Bobby (Colin Farrell). They decide that, due to their bosses' destructive and deceitful natures, their best option is to kill one another's employers.
The talented cast never quite gels due to thinly drawn characters. Bateman is especially good as his usual deadpan self, but Day's edgy naturalism and occasional ham only reminds one of his much funnier television show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Sudeikis's Kurt is fairly likable, yet his character is just another example of how the average guy can get any model to fall in bed with him.
The idea that workers submit themselves to bad conditions in an economy is touched upon here, as is the fact that men can be sexually harassed (though the situation is played for laughs). Horrible Bosses had potential but didn't tickle my funny bone.
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