2014 Movie Preview: #17 - Horrible Bosses 2

Release date: November 26

Plot summary: Fed up with answering to higher-ups, Nick, Dale and Kurt decide to become their own bosses by launching their own business in "Horrible Bosses 2." But a slick investor soon pulls the rug out from under them. Outplayed and desperate, and with no legal recourse, the three would-be entrepreneurs hatch a misguided plan to kidnap the investor's adult son and ransom him to regain control of their company.

My take: The first Horrible Bosses had a lot of potential but did not quite live up to my expectations. With a lot of sequels, the law of diminishing returns sets in. I truly hope that isn't the case here because the cast is so strong. Based on the limited amount of knowledge we have on the plot, it seems like this can potentially build off of the first one and deliver an even stronger film this time around.

RBR: We're the Millers

This comedy about a small time drug dealer who pretends to have a family so he can smuggle a large quantity of marijuana across the border turned out to be a surprise hit earlier this year. Now having seen it on DVD, its success is that much more surprising to me. For one, movies that come in August typically are not poised to be blockbusters. But the bigger reason is that the film's humor and subject matter do not seem like they would lend themselves to a mainstream hit. Credit the likeable cast for driving this creaky premise into a film that does enough to get by. SNL's Jason Sudekis plays the drug dealer who rounds up Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, and Will Poulter to play his family members. The film also features appearances from comedians including Ed Helms, Nick Offerman, and Kathryn Hahn. The humor here is very hit and miss. I found too many of the gags had decent setups with weak payoffs. The bigger issue though was poor character development. Almost everyone here is inconsistent and behaves in a manner that suits the joke and the role they play in it. Unfortunately, I found there to be very few surprises offered here. Given that this is a film that is relying on half of its jokes to work based on shock value, that's a problem. I also found the film to be a bit too cynical at times regarding the American dream and suburban family life. It feels like they want the characters to take a jaded attitude toward that lifestyle, but the actors seem to be good representatives of it. I did not find myself actively hating this film like other pathetic comedies I have seen this year, but I also was left confused as to what was offered here that struck a nerve with so many viewers to cause it to earn as much as it did at the box office. To me this is the epitome of an average film that gets by with its pleasant actors engaging in some occasionally humorous antics. Rating: ** 1/2

Millers Crossing

Pot comedies typically do nothing for me, but We're the Millers not only has an appealing cast (Jason Sudekis, Jennifer Aniston, Ed Helms, Nick Offerman), but also is more of a road trip movie than it is about drugs, so this has drawn my interest. This may work well during those dog days of summer. I've posted the first trailer here below.

RBR: Wanderlust

The thought of a gang of old, out of shape nudists running is not going to appeal to a lot of people, which is probably why more people didn't see Wanderlust when it came out this past winter. That's a shame because amid the skin and flab lies a pretty funny movie. Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play George and Linda, a Manhattan couple who flee the city after hitting financial hard times. They end up (after a disasterous visit with George's brother, played hilariously by Ken Marino) staying at a hippie commune called Elysium. There they encounter several odd characters who enjoy life without a care in the world. The cast includes a whole host of funny people including Alan Alda, Justin Theroux, Malin Ackerman, Kathryn Hahn, Joe Lo Truglio, and bunch of others who typically show up in director David Wain's films (Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models). Virtually everyone in the cast produces at least one laugh out loud line and most usually have many. Where the film suffers a bit is in its story. There's very little resemebling a plot here. Marital strife and land deals are sorta addressed, but really that all takes a backseat and this is meant to be a showcase for these talented actors to let their freak flag fly and find the humor in it. Not all of the jokes work here, but the ones that did made me laugh very hard. If you appreciate the type of humor that Wain offers, you'll really enjoy this movie. Rating: ****