Melissa McCarthy is hit or miss with me. I liked her character in Spy and she was okay in Identity Thief, but this is because she played roles outside of her norm. I didn’t care for her much in The Heat or The Hangover 3, but to be fair that last one was bad for many reasons. These days she is a comedian who is stretching herself and is definitely trying some new roles. I was able to see The Boss earlier this week and here are my thoughts on it.
Wealthy CEO Michelle Darnell (Melissa McCarthy) is a woman who always gets what she wants that is until she is busted for insider training and is sent to federal prison. Once Michelle leaves jail she finds herself alone, broke and with nowhere to live and pretty hated by everyone. Luckily, she finds her old assistant Claire (Kristen Bell) the only person willing to help her out. While staying with Claire and her young daughter Michelle devises a business model for a brownie empire that she thinks will catapult her back to the top. Unfortunately, some old enemies stand in her way and will do anything to stop her.
Even though Melissa McCarthy is the star of this comedy, she is not what makes it good. Her character starts off petty and one dimensional and therefore is not too likable. The person who made me like this movie at all was Kristen Bell. She is wonderful as Claire and is the person who moves the movie along and molds The Boss into a not bad movie. There are some moments that go too far and scenes that are too weird to be that funny but those moments are balanced with some good heart and growth by some of the core characters. The worst thing about this movie is actually the character Peter Dinklage plays. His character Renault in The Boss not only is weird but he drags the movie down. What is worse though is that his portrayal felt phoned in, like he did it just because and didn’t put much work into it. With the roles I have seen him in I was confused and shocked as to why he was so bad here. He is a great actor and I know he can do better but for some reason he didn’t and the movie suffers because of it.
The Boss gets 5/10. It is not the best comedy I have seen lately but it has a few laughs and some moments that lift it up from awful territory but sadly is missing the things needed to raise it higher than just okay. Fans of Melissa McCarthy will like this one, but know it is not her best work but is far from her worst. It is silly, sometimes too often and a good comedy needs more than that to be for everyone to enjoy. There is a good amount of dirty language but that is about it.
If you are looking for a simple comedy then this is the film for you. If you have liked the past films Melissa has starred in then you will enjoy this one. Yet for those looking for an amazing comedic picture this is not the film they are looking for. The Boss is out now.
Check out the somewhat red band trailer below: