Director: Seth Gordon
Cast: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis
Yes! Jamie Foxx as [expletive] Jones
No! Predictable humour

Kurt, Dale and Chris all have… horrible bosses. Then, a little tipsy one night, the three of them joke about killing these bosses. The joke gets a little more serious, and predictable hijinks ensue.

Despite some hilarious moments, I just didn’t love this movie. There were some great jokes and some real laughs, but nothing truly memorably funny. I suppose I was hoping for an “Office Space”-esque victory for the little guy type movie. Instead, this is a screwball crime caper.

The humour in this film comes from two sources: awkward ad-lib banter and cheap shots. Alright, not quite as cheap as, say, bodily fluids or a character getting hit in the crotch, but many of the jokes were predictable.

And if you’ve seen the trailer, expect many of the best jokes to be ruined.

That said, the actors were good. Of the main trio, Sudeikis would be the weakest performance, but Bateman and Day were doing what they do best, and doing it well.

Colin Farrell’s crazy cokehead brought an interesting side to the actor, although it seems like the filmmakers didn’t really know what to do with him. They brought him in for some ridiculous one-liners, but the character’s potential wasn’t realised.

Kevin Spacey is always a delight, although this would definitely not go down as one of his better roles.

Jennifer Aniston’s dentist was not particularly badly acted, but also not one of her stronger performances.

The show-stealer would be Jamie Foxx as the badass murder consultant with an x-rated name. It’s worth it to watch the movie for the interactions between the trio, and their interactions with Foxx’s Jones.

Despite some troubling opinions on rape and sexual harassment, it’s an enjoyable comedy. But don’t expect to be blown away.

This review was also published on Pulp Online.