Paperaxle Reviews "Horrible Bosses"

Remember "Bad Teacher" being a bad movie? You would think that a movie with the word "Horrible" in it would be even worse.

Got a surprise for you. "Horrible Bosses" is the movie that "Hangover 2" should have been. In fact, "Horrible Bosses" is one of the funniest movies I've seen, replacing "Paul" as the best comedy I've seen so far this year.

Pity Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis). They have the worst bosses imaginable. Nick, who is aspiring to be the new Vice President of Sales, has Dave (Kevin Spacey) standing in his way. Nick has been working so hard for a promotion, and Dave keeps dangling the carrot in front of him, only at the last minute Dave gives the position to himself.

And how about Dale? He works as a dental assistant, with Julia (Jennifer Aniston) as his boss, always putting the moves on him, even in front of his fiancee. And if he doesn't go along with her wishes, she has pictures of him on her iPad (taken while he was unconscious) in very compromising situations, that will be used to blackmail him.

And finally there's Kurt. An accountant for a large chemical company. He worked for Jack Pellet (Donald Sutherland), until he got a heart attack and died, leaving the company to his son Bobby (Colin Farrell). When Jack was alive, he was promising the company to Kurt, but with Bobby in charge... Bobby is going to make Kurt's life a living hell.

One day, after drinks, they decide to hire a hitman (a very funny sequence involving a "wetwork man"), and when that goes wrong, they settle for a "murder specialist"... one Motherfucker Jones (played by Jamie Foxx). By the way, his name really isn't "Motherfucker"... and if you watched the original "Love Bug" movie, you'll be able to figure it out.

This movie hits one right note after another. There were any number of times when the jokes could have gone stale, but the movie constantly redeems itself and turns out to be a great comedy. Very nice ending, not rushed or written according to formula. It's such a great movie that a sequel will only cheapen it. And Jeezus... you've never seen Jennifer Aniston like this!

Featuring cameos by Ron White, Bob Newhart, and Barry Livingston (Ernie in "My Three Sons") playing "Professor Xavier", I cant help but give this 98 minute movie four pink slips and the keys to the executive washroom. You'll thank me for recommending this one.

Paperaxle Reviews "Rio"

Well, I really wanted to like this film. I can't really explain why I didn't.

Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) is the last blue macaw in the world. As a baby, he was smuggled from his home in sunny Rio de Janeiro and left alone in snowy Moose Lake, Minnesota, where he is adopted by a young girl, Linda (Leslie Mann).

Fifteen years later, a biologist from Rio de Janeiro tracks down Blu and asks Linda if he can use Blu to mate with the last female blue macaw in the world, Jewel (Anne Hathaway) to repopulate the species. Linda obliges, tales Blu to Rio to meet Jewel and they are both kidnapped by a cockatoo named Nigel and delivered to some smugglers... is this review sounding just as bad to me as it is to you?

The macaws escape from the smugglers, and spend the rest of the 96 minute movie trying to get Blu back to Linda, but since Blu doesn't know how to fly, it makes things difficult. They meet up with Rafael (played by George Lopez), a toucan who tries to teach Blu how to fly. Because the movie takes place in Rio de Janeiro, of course they're going to have the plot revolve around Carnival. And I can't make this synopsis sound any better no matter how hard I try.

There are some interesting characters that Blu and Jewel meet along the way, including a bulldog named Luiz (played by Tracy Morgan), Pedro the cardinal (Will.i.am) and Nico the canary (Jamie Foxx). So the film isn't a total loss.

I guess my problem is with Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal of Blu. After seeing him in "The Social Network", I have an image of him as a total nerd who can't do comedy (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). Even though he was in "Zombieland", he wasn't a standout to me. Blu comes off as rather stiff and uninteresting, and I would have rather seen someone who can bring more comedy to the character... maybe even Seth Rogen or Zach Galifinakis would have been a better choice.

The movie also seemed full of padding. When you think the movie is nearly over, along comes another twist that adds to the running time. How many times can Blu be kidnapped in an hour and a half? By my count, at least three.

The movie is bright and colorful, and children loved it. Me, I'm just flipping it the bird. Starts Friday, April 15th.