Horrible Bosses

photo by aceshowbiz.com

If I could sum this movie up in ONE word, it would have to be: “meh”

There’s an incredible amount of comedic talent in Horrible Bosses: Charlie Day, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, and Jennifer Aniston (yes, she CAN be funny).  Sometimes this happens when you have too much talent in a movie, you think that talent will cover up the lack of creativity or a need for good writing.

I did get some good chuckles in. But I couldn’t get over the outlandish plot turns. I don’t expect anything to be believable when I step into a movie theater, but I want to be courted into the movie’s suspension of disbelief.

photo by even without popcorn.wordpress.com

The three main dudes: Sudeikis, Day, and Bateman are pretty much the same characters they play in any other movie/TV show (except that Sudeikis is uncomfortably sleazy).  That’s not really a complaint, these guys are aces.  Especially Charlie Day.  As each day passes, my love for this man grows stronger and deeper. He’s so goddamn lovable – I want to tell the whole world to watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  Hands down one of the best shows on TV.  I’d put it up there with Arrested Development.  Actually, it has some strong parallels with Arrested Development – a family of despicable, bickering fools with black holes for hearts.  Only there’s a huge class divide between these two families – I kind of like that the folks in It’s Always Sunny are working class, because it lends them to do things like dumpster diving, trying to get welfare, and making friends with bums under the bridge.

I digress. The best thing about Horrible Bosses was the closing credits… $4

Yolkie’s recommendations:

If you liked this movie, you might like these other mediocre comedies that are similarly forgettable:
Date Night
Cedar Rapids 
The Switch 

If you didn’t like this movie, you might like these:
It’s Always Sunny in Philadephia
The Hangover 
Pineapple Express 

In Bruges

is my kind movie, which is to say it might not be everyone’s kind of movie (“if you grew up on a farm and you were fucking retarded”). The film makes no apologies for celebrating a blunt, uncouth, un-PC humor. And it doesn’t have to, since art of the highest caliber usually gets away revealing flashes of bigotry.

And did I mention the film’s almost fetishistic attraction to violence, sex and drugs? I know, it’s totally awesome.

I don’t want to leave you with the impression In Bruges is simply an amalgamation of cheap tricks and spectacles however. For cheap (of mind) spectacles watch a Michael Bay or Brett Ratner movie. The film’s writer, Martin McDonagh carefully crafted the morality tale portion of his film to pay comedic and philosophical dividends. Thinly veiled as a hit man, “get the fuck outta Dodge” movie, the characters scamper through a maze of Belgian landscape, ominous fog, ambient piano, pushy tourists, power-tripping merchants, and terrible luck (like, Shakespearean-level-coincidental-shitty-ass luck).

It crossed my mind that In Bruges is also a movie about tourism, though half our pleasure derives from one of our tour guides perpetually insulting the cultural hot spots (and any hankering to visit them). For him, the most exciting big of Bruges is a film set where they’re “filming midgets.” In Bruges is self-deprecating about its genius to the core. Its one meta-moment (the movie’s movie within the movie) stars the most disgruntled, insensitive, midgeted character of them all. The midgeted character is also a midget. Literally. Literally like really, really short. I know, he’s totally awesome.

I feel I’d not be doing my job if I didn’t mention the insanely-good cast attached to In Bruges. But I’m sure IMDB has a page and a trailer to help you with that . . . $10

I wanted all of my recommendations to be movies with at least one midget (does Danny DeVito count as a midget?).

If you heart In Bruges:

Recommendations from DJ Cheata
Death at a Funeral
Bad Santa
Death to Smoochy

And though it’s not a movie . . . It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (TV Series)