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Horrible Bosses

The bulk of the story did not match the good setup.

Structure/Plot

- When the guys discussed the possibility of killing their bosses and felt they had no way out of their jobs, I wondered why the obvious was not mentioned- frame the bosses to get them arrested. I’m not suggesting this should have been the story, but the idea should have been raised. I can’t imagine a good reason for one of the characters to have shot down this idea so perhaps the movie could have started on this simpler path and then raised the stakes- kill the bosses- by the middle.

- The guys doing recon at the homes of the bosses did not feel natural. One, I figured they must have already known a lot about the bosses so any recon would not have been necessary. In other words, how did Jason Bateman not know that his boss of eight years had a peanut allergy? Two, it would have been simpler for any recon to be done at work (during work hours and after). Sure enough, the info they discovered in the homes could have just as easily been found at the offices. Colin Farrel had girls in his office, it would have been a cinch for Jason Sudekis to find cocaine in one his drawers.

- The story got lazy by largely excluding Jennifer Aniston from Acts II and III. It would have been a richer story had the guys inadvertantly gotten all three bosses mixed up in something.

Little thing

The ‘wet works’ guy. Do writers and directors even think that many people are turned off by gross-out and weird humor? It’s one thing if a movie is about such an extreme; then people know beforehand and can decide if they want to see that brand of comedy. But for a middle-of-the-road comedy to include throw-away scenes like this is inexcusable.

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