Horrible Bosses is a 2011 American black comedy film directed by Seth Gordon, written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein, from a story by Markowitz. It stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis in the title role, alongside Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx in their supporting roles. The plot follows three friends, played by Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis, who decide to murder their respective overbearing, abusive bosses, portrayed by Spacey, Aniston, and Farrell.
Markowitz's script was bought by New Line Cinema in 2005 and the film spent six years in various states of pre-production, with a variety of actors attached to different roles. By 2010, Goldstein and Daley had rewritten the script, and the film finally went into production.
The film premiered in Los Angeles on June 30, 2011, and was released on July 8, 2011. The film exceeded financial expectations, accruing over $28 million in the first three days, making it the number two film in the United States during its opening weekend. The film grossed over $209 million worldwide by the end of its theatrical run.
The film received positive reviews, with critics praising the ensemble cast, and each lead being singled out for their performances across reviews. Some reviewers gave praise to the premise and plot, while others commented on the quality of the joke-writing.[5][6] A sequel, Horrible Bosses 2, was released on November 26, 2014.
Plot
Nick Hendricks, Dale Arbus and Kurt Buckman are friends who despise their bosses: Nick works at a financial firm for the sadistic Dave Harken, who hints at a possible promotion for Nick for months, only to award it to himself; Dale is a dental assistant being sexually harassed by his boss, Dr. Julia Harris, who threatens to tell his fiancée Stacy that he had sex with her unless he actually has sex with her; Kurt had previously enjoyed working for Jack Pellit at a chemical company, but after Jack unexpectedly died of a heart attack, the company had been taken over by Jack's arrogant, cocaine-addicted son Bobby, whose apathy and incompetence threaten the future of the company.
At night, over drinks, Kurt jokingly suggests that their lives would be happier if their bosses were no longer around. Initially hesitant, they eventually agree to kill their employers. In search of a hitman, the trio meet Dean "Motherfucker" Jones, an ex-con who agrees to be their "murder consultant." Jones suggests that they kill each other's bosses to hide their motivations, while making the deaths look like accidents.
The trio reconnoiter Bobby's house, and Kurt steals his phone. They next go to Harken's house, where Kurt and Nick go inside while Dale waits in the car. Harken returns home and confronts Dale for littering, but then has an allergy attack from the peanut butter on the litter. Dale saves Harken by stabbing him with an EpiPen. Nick and Kurt think Dale is stabbing Harken to death and flee, with Kurt accidentally dropping Bobby's phone in Harken's bedroom. The next night, Kurt watches Julia's home, but she seduces and has sex with him. Nick and Dale wait outside Bobby's and Harken's houses, respectively, to commit the murders. Harken discovers Bobby's phone in his bedroom and uses it to find his address, suspecting his wife Rhonda is having an affair. He drives over and kills Bobby, while Nick secretly witnesses the murder.
Nick flees at high speed, setting off a traffic camera. The trio meet to discuss their reservations about continuing with their plan. They are questioned by the police, who believe the camera footage makes them suspects in Bobby's murder. Lacking evidence, the police are forced to let the trio go free. The trio consult with Jones again, but learn that he never actually killed anyone, having been imprisoned for bootlegging a film. Jones suggests that they get Harken to confess and secretly tape it. The three accidentally crash Harken's surprise birthday party, where Nick and Dale get Harken to confess to the murder before realizing that Kurt, who has the audio recorder, is elsewhere having sex with Rhonda. Harken threatens to kill all three for attempting to blackmail him. They flee by car, but Harken gives chase and repeatedly rams their vehicle.
Believing they have committed a crime, the car's navigation-system operator remotely disables Kurt's car, allowing Harken to catch and hold them at gunpoint. Harken shoots himself in the leg as he boasts about his plan to frame them for murdering Bobby and attempting to kill him to get rid of the witness. The police initially arrest Nick, Dale and Kurt, but the navigation-system operator, Gregory, reveals that it is his company's policy to record all conversations for quality assurance. Gregory plays the tape that has Harken confessing to Bobby's murder. Harken is sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, while the friends get their charges waived. Nick is promoted to president of the company with a raise under a nice, but crazy CEO, Kurt remains in his position under a promoted co-worker, and Dale, with the help of Jones, blackmails Julia into ending her harassment.
Cast
- Jason Bateman as Nick Hendricks
- An executive at a financial firm who is manipulated into jumping through hoops in order to get a promotion that his boss never intended to give him.[7] Markowitz wrote the role specifically for Bateman.[8]
- Charlie Day as Dale Arbus
- A dental assistant who is sexually harassed by his boss.[7] Described as a "hopeless romantic" in love with his fiancée.[9] Day was considered for the role following his co-starring performance with Sudeikis in the 2010 film Going the Distance, a performance which Reuters reported that industry insiders believed overshadowed the main stars.[10]
- Jason Sudeikis as Kurt Buckman[11]
- An account manager at a chemical company dealing with a new, drug-addicted boss after his beloved former boss dies.[12] Sudeikis was cast in May 2010.[13]
- Jennifer Aniston as Dr. Julia Harris, D.D.S.
- Markowitz based the character on a former boss, claiming she was "very sexually aggressive with everybody". When writing the script, Markowitz intended for the role to go to Aniston.[8] He stated the character "looked more like Cruella de Vil. It was like flirting with a cobweb."[7] Aniston wore a brown wig for the role, wanting to look different from other characters she had played.[14]
- Colin Farrell as Bobby Pellit
- Described as a "weaselly scion"[15] and a "corrupt and incompetent jerk who's in charge of things but clearly has no idea what he's doing."[7][9][16] Farrell explained the motivation he gave to the character, stating "This guy thinks he's God's gift to women, God's gift to intellect, to humor, to the club scene, to everything [...] With Pellit, Seth gave me complete license to act as pathologically screwed up as possible." Farrell contributed significantly to the appearance of his character, suggesting the comb over hairstyle, pot-belly and an affinity for Chinese dragons.[9]
- Kevin Spacey as David "Dave" Harken
- President of Comnidyne Industries.[9] Gordon commented that the character was an amalgamation of several real bosses (rather than one single person) to avoid being sued.[7]
- Donald Sutherland as Jack Pellit, Bobby's father and Kurt's boss.[9]
- Jamie Foxx as Dean 'Motherfucker' Jones
- The character had the more "colorful"[17] name "Cocksucker Jones", but it was changed to "Motherfucker Jones" at Foxx's request, with producer Jay Stern commenting that Foxx felt it "was over the line".[18] Foxx contributed to his character's appearance, suggesting full-scalp tattoos and a retro clothing style. Foxx described the appearance as "a guy who maybe went to jail for a minute and now he's living in his own time capsule. When he got out he went right back to the clothes he thought were hot when he went in."[9]
- Julie Bowen as Rhonda, Harken's wife. Bowen stated that her character "may or may not be a hussy", the character described as intentionally making her husband jealous.[9][19]
- P. J. Byrne as Kenny Sommerfeld, a former investment manager, now scrounging for drinks.
- Wendell Pierce and Ron White as pair of cops.[9]
- Lindsay Sloane as Dale's fiancée Stacy.[9]
On July 27, 2010, Isaiah Mustafa was confirmed as joining the cast, appearing as Officer Wilkens.[20] Ioan Gruffudd has a cameo as a male urophile prostitute erroneously hired as a hitman. Bob Newhart makes a cameo as sadistic Comnidyne CEO Louis Sherman.[21] John Francis Daley, a screenwriter on the film, cameos as Nick's co-worker Carter. Meghan Markle has a role in the film as a FedEx girl.[22] Brian George voices navigation-system operator Gregory, whose real name, Atmanand, the trio have difficulty pronouncing. Chad Coleman appears as a bar owner.
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