The Boss (2016) | Film Review

Michelle Darnell is an orphan who could never find her place in a family of her own. After repeatedly being cast aside by potential parents, Michelle kicks all relationships to the curb and makes financial success her primary life goal, becoming one of the richest people on the planet. After skirting a few laws which cost her everything and serving some jail-time, Michelle takes up with her former assistant (Kristen Bell) and her daughter just in time to find the inspiration she needs to re-launch her brand as the head of a brownie conglomerate. Jokes will be had, lessons will be learned, and by the time the movie is over, you’ll wish you had skipped it and just hit up the dessert tray at the local buffet instead.

As much as I love Melissa McCarthy – and typically I adore her work – the films with her husband, Ben Falcone (‘Tammy’), have proven to be the Steven Seagal of her comedy output. Low-hanging fruit, generic, and desperate humor is all I found for the 99 minutes or so I worked for this ‘Boss’. It felt like work too, like when you’re forced to stay after hours to field that phone call that never comes. That’s what ‘The Boss’ was for me. In fact, I would greatly prefer to suffer through another TPS report than sit through this film ever again.

McCarthy tries – and there are several moments that inexplicably cause some jarring laughter – but as a movie, the filmmakers quit long before we ever get the chance. It reminded me of those Saturday Night Live comedies of the 90’s, where any random character Lorne Michaels’ crew came up with got their own feature-length skit. Unfortunately, this is closer to ‘Coneheads’ than it is to ‘Wayne’s World’. There are several attempts to deepen Michelle as a character, but just as we near some semblance of character development and common sense, we dive right back into the drowning waters of cheese lagoon.

As far as the other actors, Peter Dinklage tries to do his best Zoolander to little avail. After this and ‘Pixels’, it’s fairly obvious Dinklage needs to stick to drama. Then there is Kristen Bell, a gifted comedienne and actress in her own right, relegated to playing the straight woman the entirety of the film. It’s an absolute crime to have such a talented actress so underutilized. Not even an extended gag where both actresses try to manipulate their bosoms can save Bell from a toss-away performance. Basically what I am saying is that EVERY actor – with the possible exception of Tyler Labine as the only character whose charm actually shines – is wasted in this film.

Rarely do I whip through a review as quickly as this, but there is so little worth mentioning here that I think I’d rather get back to my dessert tray than dwell on this any longer.

This ‘Boss’ deserves a pink slip.