The Boss (2016)

Review

99min

Genre:      Comedy

Director:   Ben Falcone

Cast:        Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage…and more

Writers:    Ben Falcone, Steve Mallory & Melissa McCarthy

-Synopsis-

A troubled orphan girl turned self-made, ruthless and relentless business titan loses everything after being convicted of insider trading; but the beast cannot be tamed as she recruits a former long-suffering assistant and her daughter to build a Girl Scout brownie empire, only to be pitted against and old adversary and in the process discover the meaning of family.

America’s comedy darling Melissa McCarthy dusts off her old improv theatre creation for the big screen and co-writes & stars as Michelle Darnell; a turtleneck wearing, over-the-top megalomaniacal business woman. Alongside Kristen Bell as her assistant-turned-business partner, whose daughter’s girl scout group is Darnell’s new business target in an irreverent rags-to-riches-to-rags-to-riches comedy.

Co-writer, director and McCarthy’s real husband Ben Falcone teams up with his hilarious wife for the second time at the helm of a comedy vehicle crafted for her unique and currently highly popular talents, kind of a cross between 1989’s ‘Troop Beverly Hills’ and Mel Brooks’s ‘Life Stinks’.

But McCarthy’s brand of highly physical comedy and roguish yet likeable characters can’t sustain a 100 minute film that’s this predictable and poorly conceived. Without the talents of her regular collaborator writer/director Paul Feig,  McCarthy and Ben Falcone struggle to keep together a balanced film, the result is a gag-fest which starts to tire as it crosses the line between silly and stupid.

‘The Boss’ is a mix of old-school slapstick comedy and plenty of coarse modern humour; but it seems like the writers stepped into their 12-year-old selves where “dirty words” are endlessly hilarious, as McCarthy delivers an endless barrage of profanity throughout a comedy which is largely built on adults swearing in front of children, and swearing kids.

Don’t get us wrong, there are plenty of legitimately funny moments in ‘The Boss’; with McCarthy delivering another aggressive, over-the-top and yet loveable comedy character, plus Peter Dinklage shining as her ludicrous rival and antagonist of the piece.

But the ‘The Boss’ is an often tedious movie experience and an unbalanced comedy which is probably the weakest Melissa McCarthy vehicle so far, but hopefully not  a sign of things to come.

The Bottom Line…

Despite some genuinely hilarious moments and a memorable if familiar Melissa McCarthy comedy creation; an over-reliance on its star and a poorly balanced and unimaginative script make ‘The Boss’ a reasonably entertaining but instantly forgettable movie experience, perhaps another example of why McCarthy should stick with Paul Feig for as long as that train stays on the rails.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Life Stinks (1991)

A filthy rich, greedy fat-cat property developer makes a bet with a fierce rival that he can survive on the streets of L.A. with nothing, only to discover his humanity while finding out how tough life can be in this comedy from writer/director and comedic legend Mel Brooks.

Directed by Mel Brooks and starring Mel Brooks, Lesley Ann Warren and Jeffrey Tambor among others.

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