Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) Review

In 2011 New Line Cinema's unleashed a movie that most of Middle America could relate to entitled Horrible Bosses. The movie had a simple premise. What if your boss was so "horrible" and destroying your life so much that the only out you had was to kill him? This fantasy was so common for most of working America that the act of living vicariously through this film made it a box office success.

Now in 2014 New Line Cinema is at it again releasing Horrible Bosses 2 into theaters this Thanksgiving, and if you were looking for more of the same workplace hijinks, unfortunately, you will be upset. Horrible Bosses 2 is an entirely different kind of story drawing people in with the idea that it is the same premise as the original.

The story still centers on our three crazy characters from the first film, Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman; Juno, Hancock), Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis; Hall Pass, We're The Millers), and Dale Arbus (Charlie Day; Monsters University, Pacific Rim) who have now quit their jobs and are working for themselves. After a wealthy investor (Christoph Waltz; Inglourious Basterds, Tarzan) shows some interest in their product, he takes it upon himself to bankrupt these non-business savvy men. This in turn makes our three heroes resort to kidnapping the businessman's son (Chris Pine; Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Star Trek) and hold him for ransom in an attempt to get the money back that would save their business.

The black humor that was so integral in the first film has now been thrown out the proverbial window as director/writer, Sean Anders (That's My Boy, Sex Drive) goes for one-liners with a very obvious plotline. It is interesting how such an academy awarding cast would allow this film to fall into disarray.  Our heroes seem less intelligent and more moronic than ever with all the jokes falling back to sex humor or screaming.  The return of Jennifer Aniston's (We're The Millers, Office Space) character, Dr. Julia Harris, D.D.S., seems only be inserted to add more sex jokes and toilet humor to the film, but the film would have at least been a little more tolerable without her in it.

The only redeeming quality of the film was the scenes involving Nick Hendricks' old boss played by Kevin Spacey (The Usual Suspects, Seven). He dives right back into his role that everyone loved from the first film and adds more depth and character to it.  Making us loathe him even more than the first time around.

The film will probably make quite a bit of money this holiday season riding the coattails of the first film. However, after word of mouth gets around on Horrible Bosses 2, it will probably be compared right next to The Hangover Part II which didn't live up to the original either.  Maybe an Office Space 2 will save this genre? One can only hope.