The original Horrible Bosses, released in 2011, grossed more than $200 million worldwide. Because of this and only this, I would guess this is why we have Horrible Bosses 2. In the first film, we were lit up by the comedic charisma of actors Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis as they deal with their selfish to sexually frustrated bosses.
In the sequel, the plot picks up from the last movie, with the three dopes, Nick (Bateman), Kurt (Sudeikis), and Dale (Day), now liberated from their bosses. After quitting their respective obs, they start a business and manufacture their latest product, a bathroom gadget called “The Shower Biddy.” Enter Bert Hanson (Christoph Waltz), a snarky marketing mogul who offers to bankroll their first 100,000 units, which they happily accept—only to later find out that Hanson screws them over, leaving them all in debt.
In desperation in seeking revenge for Hanson, the guys visit their “murder consultant”, Motherfucking Jones (Jaime Foxx, also returning from the first movie) and hatches a plan to kidnap Hanson’s son, Rex (Chris Pine) by holding him ransom that will bail out their business venture.
This is surprisingly a plotty movie, but it unfortunately does not matter because it was weak and boring. Despite routine lapses that was exhausted decade ago by the Austin Powers franchise, there were some laughs sprinkled throughout.
The beginning of the movie was slow and the process of finishing it was even slower. The ludicrous squabbles among Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day were unfunny, despite the way they transform their conversations from logic to lunacy in a single exchange.
There was one particular scene was I remembered laughing at was when the three main guys were at the payphone speaking to Waltz’s character. I found their accents imitating cowboys hilarious, but other than that, it all went downhill from there.
The other main problem I have is the casting of Rex Hanson. I mean, what genius decided to cast Pines as the unfunny son of Waltz. Although he is convincing as a sociopath in the movie, the character himself just comes off as annoying. I particularly also found Day’s voice unbearable.
As compared to Dumb and Dumber To and We’re the Millers, Horrible Bosses 2 is also a comedy offender finding it easy to make halfhearted abuses at Hispanic women, Asian women, women in general, gay men, and ethical business practice, all while insulting every conventional notion of plausibility, commonsense and good taste.
Everyone in the cast is just punching the clock through the empty second half of the film. And that, my friends, makes Horrible Bosses 2 feel considerably longer than its bloated running time.
