Horrible Bosses (2011): B

Hangover filmmakers, this is how you do it, and by "it," I mean lewd comedies starring primarily men who get into all sorts of trouble over a short period of time during which virtually anything can - and does - happen. Horrible Bosses is a refreshing workplace fantasy for our corporate-shilling times. As per the title, three best friend protagonists have found themselves in a kind of hell on earth employment; Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman) has been sucking up to his boss (a quasi-brilliant Kevin Spacey) for ages to no avail, Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) is assistant to a sexually aggressive dentist (smoky Jennifer Aniston) who refuses to respect his preexisting engagement, and Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) must contend with his newfound superior, a coke-addicted asshole (a barely-recognizable Colin Farrell) who wants only to squeeze whatever profits he can from their company before it totally collapses (thus puncturing Republican theories that all companies desire "growth," as if Enron hadn't already). A Hitchcockian moment of clarity sees them decide to kill their respective bosses, at which point their semblance of plans begin to inspire increasingly out of control. The pacing feels as though the events are unfolding in real time, before some unexpected but no less satisfying conclusions. A keeper, and one I suspect will become funnier on repeat viewings.