Pads & Panels

Title: Horrible Bosses

Format: Totally Inappropriate Edition Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

Directed by: Seth Gordon

Written by: Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein

Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Foxx

Studio: Warner Bros.

Film Rating:

Blu-ray Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The Film

Horrible Bosses is a comedy that took me by surprise when it hit theaters earlier this year. While I loved the cast and the idea (and held out hope that it would be good), the trailers did little to capture my attention and reassure me leading up to its release. Luckily, my fears were all for naught, as Horrible Bosses still rates as one of my favorite comedies this year.

Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman), Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) are working stiffs, all stuck with the (maybe not so equally) horrible bosses of Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey), Bobby Pellitt (Colin Farrell) and Dr. Julia Harris, D.D.S. (Jennifer Aniston), respectively. Nick takes abuse by Harken, biding time for a promotion that is likely never coming. Kurt has a great boss, but after an unexpected death finds himself working for the old boss’s cokehead son. And Dale, who loves his soon-to-be-wife, finds himself sexually abused by Harris, which his friends don’t think is really a problem.

Hypothetical chat becomes literal when the three figure it is in their best interest to try to murder their bosses. Of course, it wouldn’t be a comedy if everything simply went according to plan, and hilarity ensues. It works because of the quirky dynamic between the characters, but also thanks to the fact that it is such a relatable situation for so many people, and the characters are essentially carrying out this fantasy of finally ridding themselves of the thing that’s bringing them down in a way that no actual, rational person would find themselves doing.

Blu-ray

The Blu-ray release for Horrible Bosses is quite the collection for a comedy. The “Totally Inappropriate Edition” comes with three discs. The first is an extended edition of the film, adding roughly 8 minutes to the theatrical release. Like most extended editions, it is easy to see why the material was cut – in this case the pacing of the theatrical version is simply better. That said, unlike many films, the Horrible Bosses extended cut actually adds a few funny bits to the mix.

The second disc features the original theatrical release, along with special features. All five extras are rather short, but in a good way. One offers a look at bad bosses the actors have had in the past, while another delves into how to deal with the behavior of a horrible boss. “Being Mean is So Much Fun” focuses on the actors behind the film’s villains, and another featurette focuses on the film’s soundtrack. Finally, there is a deleted scenes reel, which offers a fun look at some alternate intros, among other scenes. None of the featurettes are too deep or enlightening, but they’re fun enough and don’t overstay their welcome. The final disc simply offers a DVD copy of the film.

All in all, Horrible Bosses is one of the year’s best comedies and gets a fine home video release. The extras won’t quite quench the thirst of superfans, but I like that Warner Bros. elected to package both editions of the film together, rather than trying to sell it twice, so fans gets their money’s worth and a great film to boot.

For more info, warnerbros.com

Pads & Panels received a copy of the Blu-ray courtesy of the studio for review purposes.