Horrible Bosses 2 yet another comedy sequel that just ain’t equal

MOVIE REVIEW: Like a majority of sequels to hit comedies, Horrible Bosses 2 feels as if it is the result of a compulsory work order.

HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 [MA15+]

Rating: 2/5

Director:Sean Anders (We’re the Millers)

Starring:Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Christoph Waltz, Chris Pine, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Aniston.

“Too much like hard work”

Like a majority of sequels to hit comedies, Horrible Bosses 2 feels as if it is the result of a compulsory work order.

Those that survived the first instalment — the 2011 box-office smash where three bullied buddies comically conspired to murder their employers — are back on deck to reprise their respective roles.

Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) are now looking to forge their own career in business together after the whole working-for-others thing panned out so badly in the last movie.

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Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine in Horrible Bosses 2. Picture: Supplied

However, when their first big deal turns out to be a con that leaves them half a million bucks in debt, another dubious scheme is hatched to halt the advancing crisis.

Upon the dubious advice of the ever-delightful M.F. Jones (Jamie Foxx), Nick, Dale and Kurt kidnap the only son of the gent who did them wrong.

Not surprisingly, there are hitches. A lot of ‘em. Treacherous tycoon Bert Hanson (Christoph Waltz) doesn’t really want the layabout heir to his fortune, Rex (Chris Pine), back in any hurry.

Meanwhile, the more Nick, Dale and Kurt hang out with their captive, the more they fall under Rex’s influence to shake down his dad for even more cash.

You would think that the addition of new recruits such as Pine (Star Trek) and Waltz (Django Unchained) would uptick the funny factor for Horrible Bosses 2, but the movie never really makes effective use of their talents.

Jennifer Aniston mistakes Jason Bateman for a sex addict in Horrible Bosses 2. Picture: Supplied

Regulars such as Foxx, Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Aniston (the recipient of some kind of strange digital skin-smoothing technology that makes her look quite eerie on occasion) are left with little to do but repeat their earlier schtick with less enthusiasm than before.

Bateman, Day and Sudeikis do have a quantifiable rapport that can kick-in when their sustaining squabbling reaches a certain pitch. Otherwise, their comic potency is largely neutered by all the tired and repetitive gagging.

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Originally published as Horrible Bosses 2 yet another comedy sequel that just ain’t equal