Horrible Bosses 2

The first Horrible Bosses was, for all intents and purposes, a decent enough comedy that went on to become a surprise hit. It was cheaply made, fairly well acted and had a satisfying pay-off. With the kind of money in brought in versus the relative cheapness of its production, a sequel was certain to follow.

The film begins with Nick, Kurt & Dale (Bateman, Sudekis and Day) promoting their new invention, the 'ShowerBuddy', on a local morning show with hilarious misadventures ensuing. This catches the attention of Burt Hanson (Christoph Waltz) and his goof-off son, Rex (Chris Pine), who offer them a once-in-a-lifetime deal that could save them from having to work for bosses ever again. By all accounts, it looks like it's finally happening for Nick, Kurt & Dale (or Nickurtdale, say it quickly). Hanson and son quickly double-cross the trio and make off with their invention, leaving them with a huge loan and a collapsing business.

Together with Mother****er Jones (Jamie Foxx), they come up with an ingenious plan to kidnap Rex and ransom him for the loan amount. Jennifer Aniston's sex-crazed dentist is crowbarred into the plot when the trio plan to use her knockout gases to take Pine, while Kevin Spacey turns up in an almost cameo-like appearance.

As mentioned, the first Horrible Bosses was a decent enough comedy and the second feels like a refinement of that formula laid out. Bateman's deadpan, exasperated comedy works best when it's played against Sudekis' sleazeball antics and Day's stir-crazy energy. Aniston and Spacey are deployed reasonably well, however Christoph Waltz feels like an underused element. He's capable of being funny, very funny - but he turns up for only a few scenes. But Chris Pine is a comedic revelation; playing with an almost Joker-like quality, he's surprisingly at home with the kind of physical comedy that Horrible Bosses 2 runs with.

The laughs are fast and frequent, but some scenes feel like they're stretched out just a bit too much for comfort; feeling like they've been forced in simply to pad out the length of the film and give it substance when it doesn't need any. It's hard to criticise Horrible Bosses 2 too much because it works with what it has with a fair amount of intelligence. It doesn't push the boundaries too far, although it does get a little bit dark and racy in places.

A fine Friday night comedy that'll keep you entertained for an hour and a half.