Horrible Bosses is a 2011 American crime black comedy film directed by Seth Gordon and written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein, from a story by Markowitz. It stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, and Jamie Foxx.
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 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on June 30, 2011, and was released on July 8, 2011, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received mixed reviews and grossed $209.8 million worldwide. A sequel, Horrible Bosses 2, was released on November 26, 2014.
Plot
Nick Hendricks, Dale Arbus, and Kurt Buckman are friends working in Riverside, California, 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 enjoys working for the kind-hearted Jack Pellit at his chemical company, but after Jack unexpectedly dies of a heart attack, the company is taken over by Jack's arrogant, cocaine-addicted son Bobby, whose apathy and incompetence threaten the future of the company.
One night, over drinks, Kurt jokingly suggests that their lives would be happier if their bosses were no longer alive. Initially hesitant, they eventually agree to kill their bosses. In search of a hitman, the trio meet Dean "Motherfucker" Jones, an ex-con who offers to be their "murder consultant." Jones suggests that they kill each other's bosses to hide their motives, while making the deaths look like accidents.
The trio sneak into 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 as a lookout. Harken returns home and confronts Dale for littering, and then has an allergic reaction from the peanut butter on the litter. Dale saves him by stabbing him with an EpiPen, but Nick and Kurt think he 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, but are hesitant to follow through. Harken discovers Bobby's phone in his bedroom and uses it to find his address, suspecting his wife, Rhonda, is having an affair with Bobby. Harken drives over and shoots Bobby dead, while Nick secretly witnesses the murder.
Nick flees at high speed, setting off a traffic camera. The trio meet at a bar and plan to leave the police an anonymous tip to get Harken arrested. However, the police bring them in for questioning, as the camera footage makes Nick the prime suspect in Bobby's murder.
Dale points out that they lack sufficient evidence to hold them there, forcing the police to release them. However, the trio are warned that forensics is sweeping the house for DNA, so they realize the prank Kurt pulled during their first break-in has left enough evidence to convict them. They consult with Jones again, who 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 in Kurt's car, but Harken gives chase and repeatedly rams them, damaging their car and slowing it down.
The crashes alert Kurt's navigation-system operator Gregory who, believing they have committed a crime, remotely disables the car, allowing Harken to catch and hold them at gunpoint. He boasts to the trio about his plan to frame them for the murder, before he shoots himself in the leg to paint himself as a victim. The police arrive to arrest the trio, but Gregory plays a recording 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 friendly but slightly psychotic CEO; Kurt remains in his position under a promoted co-worker; 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. Markowitz wrote the role specifically for Bateman. Charlie Day as Dale Arbus: A dental assistant who is sexually harassed by his boss. Described as a "hopeless romantic" in love with his fiancée. 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. Jason Sudeikis as Kurt Buckman: An account manager at a chemical company dealing with a new, drug-addicted boss after his beloved former boss dies. Sudeikis was cast in May 2010. 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. He stated the character "looked more like Cruella de Vil. It was like flirting with a cobweb." Aniston wore a brown wig for the role, wanting to look different from other characters she had played. Colin Farrell as Bobby Pellit: Described as a "weaselly scion" and a "corrupt and incompetent jerk who's in charge of things but clearly has no idea what he's doing." 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. Kevin Spacey as Dave Harken: President of Comnidyne Industries. Gordon commented that the character was an amalgamation of several real bosses (rather than one single person) to avoid being sued. Donald Sutherland as Jack Pellit, Bobby's father and Kurt's boss. Jamie Foxx as Dean 'Motherfucker' Jones: The character had the more "colorful" 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". 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." 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. P. J. Byrne as Kenny Sommerfeld, a former investment manager and friend from high school of Nick, Dale and Kurt, now scrounging for drinks. Wendell Pierce and Ron White as Detectives Hagan and Samson, a pair of cops. Lindsay Sloane as Dale's fiancée Stacy.
On July 27, 2010, Isaiah Mustafa was confirmed as joining the cast, appearing as Officer Wilkens. 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. 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.The Evolution of Meghan Markle, From 'Suits' Star to Real-Life Princess (Photos) Brian George voices navigation-system operator Gregory, whose real name, Atmanand, the trio have difficulty pronouncing. Chad Coleman appears as a bar owner.
Production Development Michael Markowitz's script for Horrible Bosses was sold at auction to New Line Cinema by Brett Ratner's production company Rat Entertainment in 2005 for a six-figure amount. Ratner initially was interested in directing, but became occupied with directing the comedy Tower Heist. Frank Oz and David Dobkin were in talks to direct. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley rewrote the script in 2010, and the project went into production with Seth Gordon directing.
Casting During the six-year development of the film, several actors were in negotiations to star, including Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Reynolds, Dax Shepard, and Johnny Knoxville. Tom Cruise, Bob Saget, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jeff Bridges had been approached by New Line Cinema to take the role of Dave Harken, described as a psychopathic master manipulator with an attractive wife. Kevin Spacey signed up for the role in June 2010. Ashton Kutcher was in talks to play Dale Arbus at two different points in the lengthy production, before the role ultimately went to Charlie Day.
Design
Production designer Shepherd Frankel specifically set out to create distinctly different environments for the three employees and their respective bosses' homes and offices. Nick and Harken's workplace is the "Comnidyne" bullpen, which was designed to "enhance the discomfort and anxiety of lower-level employees clustered in the center of the room where every movement is monitored by the boss from his corner office."
The design team met with financial strategists and management companies to learn about the architecture of their office layouts to visually represent the experience of starting from a low-ranking position in a cubicle and aspiring to an office. Costume designer Carol Ramsey worked with Frankel and set decorator Jan Pascale to match Harken's suit to that of the surrounding "cold grey and blue" color palette of his office. Harken's home was described as "equally lacking in warmth" as the office but more lavishly decorated and "for show", including an intentionally oversized portrait of him with his "trophy wife".
Designing Julia's office was described as a "challenge", infusing a "sensual vibe" into a dental office. Frankel approached the design through Julia's mentality, stating, "She's a Type A professional at the top of her game, who likes to play cat-and-mouse, so it's a completely controlled environment, with apertures and views into other rooms so she always knows what's going on". "It's highly designed, with rich wallpaper and tones, sumptuous artwork and subtle lighting—all very disarming till you step into her private office. The blinds close, the door locks and you think, 'It's the Temple of Doom.'" Similarly approaching the character's home, the design allowed for wide windows which face onto a public street "which afford her the opportunity to put on the kind of show she couldn't get away with at work."