83-667: Horrible Bosses is a 2011 American black comedy film directed by Seth Gordon , written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley , and Jonathan Goldstein , from a story by Markowitz. It stars Jason Bateman , Charlie Day , and Jason Sudeikis , alongside Jennifer Aniston , Colin Farrell , Kevin Spacey , and Jamie Foxx in their supporting roles. The plot follows three friends, played by Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis, who decide to murder their respective overbearing, abusive bosses, portrayed by Spacey, Aniston, and Farrell. Markowitz's script
166-440: A Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor for Colin Farrell, and three nominations from the 2012 Comedy Awards , including Comedy Actor for Bateman, Comedy Actress for Aniston, and best Comedy Film. Farrell and Aniston were both nominated for Best On-Screen Dirt Bag at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards , with Aniston claiming the award. Farrell also received a nomination for Best On-Screen Transformation. On July 26, 2011, FX obtained
249-610: A cloud storage service which allows streaming or downloading to a variety of devices. Seth Gordon confirmed in July 2011 that talks were underway for a sequel, after the financial success of the film in the United States, saying: "Yeah, we've definitely discussed it. It's done well in the States, the film has, so that's becoming a more concerted effort now, we're trying to figure out what the sequel could be." On January 4, 2012, it
332-483: A hitman , the trio meet Dean "Motherfucker" Jones, an ex-con who offers to be their "murder consultant." Jones suggests that they kill each other's bosses to hide their motives, while making the deaths look like accidents. The trio poke around Bobby's house, and Kurt steals his phone. They next go to Harken's house, where Kurt and Nick go inside while Dale waits in the car as a lookout. Harken returns home and confronts Dale for littering, but then has an allergy attack from
415-422: A 2011 comedy, just enough cleverness to admire, and just the right camaraderie among its three male stars, which turns out to be the movie’s greatest strength." Rolling Stone ' s Peter Travers gave kudos to the "killer cast", with specific credit given to Bateman and Day, but was critical of the movie, stating "it wussies out on a sharp premise" and that it is a "hit-and-miss farce that leaves you wishing it
498-557: A Horrible Boss , Being Mean Is So Much Fun , and The Making of the Horrible Bosses Soundtrack . Both the theatrical and extended cuts are presented in the film's original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with DTS-HD Master Audio sound. Beginning with the Blu-ray Disc release of Horrible Bosses and Green Lantern , Warner Bros. included a code that allows the owner to access a version of the film via UltraViolet ,
581-407: A Type A professional at the top of her game, who likes to play cat-and-mouse, so it's a completely controlled environment, with apertures and views into other rooms so she always knows what's going on". "It's highly designed, with rich wallpaper and tones, sumptuous artwork and subtle lighting—all very disarming till you step into her private office. The blinds close, the door locks and you think, 'It's
664-405: A comic manner. Comedians like Lenny Bruce , who since the late 1950s have been labeled as using " sick comedy " by mainstream journalists, have also been labeled with "black comedy". Sigmund Freud , in his 1927 essay Humour ( Der Humor ), although not mentioning 'black humour' specifically, cites a literal instance of gallows humour before going on to write: "The ego refuses to be distressed by
747-461: A crime, the car is remotely disabled by its navigation-system operator, allowing Harken to catch and hold them at gunpoint. Harken shoots himself in the leg as he boasts about his plan to frame them for murdering Bobby and attempting to kill him to get rid of the witness. The police initially arrest the trio, but the navigation-system operator Gregory reveals that it is his company's policy to record all conversations for quality assurance. Gregory plays
830-449: A far ridere su un argomento talmente drammatico di cui si ride perché non c'è altra soluzione possibile, si ha quella che nei cabaret di Berlino degli Anni '20 veniva chiamata la "risata verde". È opportuno distinguere una satira ironica, che lavora per sottrazione, da una satira grottesca, che lavora per addizione. Questo secondo tipo di satira genera più spesso la risata verde. Ne erano maestri Kraus e Valentin. Blackmail Blackmail
913-551: A film. Jones suggests that they get Harken to confess and secretly tape it. The three accidentally crash Harken's surprise birthday party, where Nick and Dale get Harken to confess to the murder before realizing that Kurt, who has the audio recorder, is elsewhere having sex with Rhonda. Harken threatens to kill all three for attempting to blackmail him. They flee in Kurt’s car, but he gives chase and repeatedly rams them, damaging their car and slowing it down. Believing they have committed
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#1732798267656996-476: A form of extortion and may be covered in the same statutory provision as extortion. Although the two are generally synonymous, extortion is the taking of personal property by threat of future harm. Blackmail is the use of threat to prevent another from engaging in a lawful occupation and writing libelous letters or letters that provoke a breach of the peace, as well as use of intimidation for purposes of collecting an unpaid debt. In many jurisdictions, blackmail
1079-622: A gross of $ 82.6 million in 17 days. On July 28, 2011, with $ 87.6 million after 20 days, Horrible Bosses surpassed The War of the Roses ($ 86.8 million) to become the highest grossing dark/black comedy film in unadjusted dollars. Horrible Bosses was released on July 7, 2011, in the United Arab Emirates ($ 258,108), and on July 8 in Estonia ($ 24,471), Latvia ($ 15,750), Lebanon ($ 36,316) and Lithuania ($ 13,676), grossing $ 348,321 for
1162-776: A hundred times in movies and on TV", aiming for the film to appear as if it could be taking place anywhere in America "where people are trying to pursue the American dream but getting stopped by a horrible boss." "Comnidyine" was represented by an office building in Torrance, California , with the crew building the set on a vacant floor. For "Pellitt Chemical", the production team found a "perfect landscape of pipes and containers" in Santa Fe Springs , surrounding an unoccupied water cleaning and storage facility. To take advantage of
1245-616: A man who grasped things by reason and never by feeling, and who enclosed himself in skepticism; [...] Swift can rightfully be considered the inventor of "savage" or "gallows" humor. Des termes parents du Galgenhumor sont: : comédie noire, plaisanterie macabre, rire jaune. (J'en offre un autre: gibêtises). humour macabre, humeur de désespéré, (action de) rire jaune Galgenhumor propos guilleret etwas freie, gewagte Äußerung Walter Redfern, discussing puns about death, remarks: 'Related terms to gallows humour are: black comedy, sick humour, rire jaune. In all, pain and pleasure are mixed, perhaps
1328-524: A plot she deemed racist and filled with "stereotypes". Justin Chang of Variety praised the performance of the ensemble cast, but considered the plot to be "predictably moronic, vulgar and juvenile". Chang echoed the sentiments of The Village Voice in lamenting that the film failed to pursue the premise to "darker, more daring territory" and faulted it for falling back on "over-the-top comic exaggeration". The film received several award nominations, including
1411-459: A replacement. In September 2013, Sean Anders was announced as Gordon's replacement, with John Morris joining the production as a producer. The pair had previously performed a rewrite on Goldstein's and Daley's sequel script. Filming had been scheduled to begin in summer 2013, but began in November 2013. Foxx, Aniston, and Spacey reprised their roles, with Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine joining
1494-430: A smartly assembled cast that makes the most of a solid premise, Horrible Bosses works." Review aggregate Metacritic gave the film a score of 57 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". On CinemaScore , audiences gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. Male audience members gave the film an "A−" compared to females giving it an average rating of "B+". Roger Ebert gave
1577-1308: A spese di chi è più ricco e potente di te. Io sono specialista nella risata verde, quella dei cabaret di Berlino degli anni Venti e Trenta. Nasce dalla disperazione. Esempio: l'Italia è un paese dove la commissione di vigilanza parlamentare Rai si comporta come la commissione stragi e viceversa. Oppure: il mistero di Ustica è irrisolto? Sono contento: il sistema funziona. racconto di satira grottesca [...] L'obiettivo del grottesco è far percepire l'orrore di una vicenda. Non è la satira cui siamo abituati in Italia: la si ritrova nel cabaret degli anni '20 e '30, poi è stata cancellata dal carico di sofferenze della guerra. Aggiungo che io avevo spiegato in apertura di serata che ci sarebbero stati momenti di satira molto diversi. Satira ironica, che fa ridere, e satira grottesca, che può far male. Perché porta alla risata della disperazione, dell'impotenza. La risata verde. Era forte, perché coinvolgeva in un colpo solo tutti i cardini satirici: politica, religione, sesso e morte. Quello che ho fatto è stato accentuare l'interazione tra gli elementi. Non era di buon gusto? Rabelais e Swift, che hanno esplorato questi lati oscuri della nostra personalità, non si sono mai posti il problema del buon gusto. Quando la satira poi riesce
1660-610: A tool for exploring vulgar issues by provoking discomfort, serious thought, and amusement for their audience. Thus, in fiction , for example, the term black comedy can also refer to a genre in which dark humor is a core component. Cartoonist Charles Addams was famous for such humor, e.g. depicting a boy decorating his bedroom with stolen warning signs including "NO DIVING – POOL EMPTY", "STOP – BRIDGE OUT" and "SPRING CONDEMNED." Black comedy differs from both blue comedy —which focuses more on crude topics such as nudity , sex , and body fluids —and from straightforward obscenity . Whereas
1743-457: A worldwide gross of $ 209.8 million, against its budget of $ 35 million. Horrible Bosses was released on July 8, 2011, in the United States and Canada across 3,040 theaters. It grossed $ 9.9 million on the first day, giving it the second largest opening gross for an original R-rated comedy of the summer, behind Bad Teacher ($ 12.2 million). For the opening weekend, the film took in a total of $ 28,302,165, an average of $ 9,310 per theater, making it
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#17327982676561826-526: Is a criminal act of coercion using a threat . As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States , blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a threat to do something that would cause a person to suffer embarrassment or financial loss. By contrast, in the Commonwealth its definition is wider: for example
1909-592: Is a shameless shrine to himself and his hedonistic appetites." Frankel continued, "It features a mishmash of anything he finds exotic and erotic, mostly Egyptian and Asian motifs with an '80s Studio 54 vibe, a makeshift dojo, lots of mirrors and a massage table." Some parts of the house design were provided by Farrell and Gordon's interpretation of the character and his "infatuation" with martial arts and "his delusions of prowess". Filming of Horrible Bosses took place in and around Los Angeles . The production team attempted to find locations "that people haven't already seen
1992-725: Is a statutory offense, often criminal, carrying punitive sanctions for convicted perpetrators. Blackmail is the name of a statutory offense in the United States, England and Wales, and Australia, and has been used as a convenient way of referring to certain other offenses, but was not a term used in English law until 1968. Blackmail was originally a term from the Scottish Borders meaning payments rendered in exchange for protection from thieves and marauders. The "mail" part of blackmail derives from Middle English male meaning "rent or tribute". This tribute (male or reditus )
2075-620: Is an acknowledged coping mechanism. It has been encouraged within these professions to make note of the context in which these jokes are told, as outsiders may not react the way that those with mutual knowledge do. A 2017 study published in the journal Cognitive Processing concludes that people who appreciate dark humor "may have higher IQs, show lower aggression, and resist negative feelings more effectively than people who turn up their noses at it." Examples of black comedy in film include: Examples of black comedy in television include: Examples of gallows speeches include: Military life
2158-429: Is full of gallows humor, as those in the services continuously live in the danger of being killed, especially in wartime. For example: Workers in the emergency services are also known for using black comedy: There are several titles such as It Only Hurts When I Laugh and Only When I Laugh , which allude to the punch line of a joke which exists in numerous versions since at least the 19th century. A typical setup
2241-619: Is having an affair with him. He drives over and kills Bobby, while Nick secretly witnesses the murder. Nick flees at high speed, setting off a traffic camera . The trio meet to discuss their reservations about continuing with their plan. They are questioned by the police, who believe the camera footage makes them suspects in Bobby's murder. Lacking evidence, the police are forced to let the trio go free. The trio consult with Jones again, but learn that he never actually killed anyone or committed any felonies, having been imprisoned for only bootlegging
2324-424: Is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to family members or associates rather than to the general public. Acts of blackmail can also involve using threats of physical, mental or emotional harm, or of criminal prosecution, against the victim or someone close to the victim. It is normally carried out for personal gain, most commonly of position, money, or property. Blackmail may also be considered
2407-439: Is that someone badly hurt is asked "Does it hurt?" – "I am fine; it only hurts when I laugh." The term was part of the language before Freud wrote an essay on it—'gallows humor.' This is middle European humor, a response to hopeless situations. It's what a man says faced with a perfectly hopeless situation and he still manages to say something funny. Freud gives examples: A man being led out to be hanged at dawn says, 'Well,
2490-452: Is the "real standout". Douglas summarized the picture as "dark fun that works better than expected due to a well-developed script, an impeccable cast and a director who knows how to put the two together". A. O. Scott of The New York Times stated "the timing of the cast...is impeccable" and appreciated that the script did not attempt "to cut its coarseness with a hypocritical dose of sweetness or respectability". The review concluded that "in
2573-493: The Beastie Boys . McCready, Lessard, and Mark worked with musicians Matt Chamberlain , David Levita, Aaron Kaplan, Victor Indrizzo , Chris Chaney , Davey Chegwidden and DJ Cheapshot to develop the music. Major contributions were provided by Mark on keyboard, McCready and Levita on guitar, Chaney and Lessard on bass, Indrizzo on drums and DJ Cheapshot on turntables. Horrible Bosses: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
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2656-604: The French humour noir ) was coined by the Surrealist theorist André Breton in 1935 while interpreting the writings of Jonathan Swift . Breton's preference was to identify some of Swift's writings as a subgenre of comedy and satire in which laughter arises from cynicism and skepticism , often relying on topics such as death. Breton coined the term for his 1940 book Anthology of Black Humor ( Anthologie de l'humour noir ), in which he credited Jonathan Swift as
2739-500: The Temple of Doom.'" Similarly approaching the character's home, the design allowed for wide windows which face onto a public street "which afford her the opportunity to put on the kind of show she couldn't get away with at work." Bobby's environments were designed with more contrast, the character being new to the work area. Frankel described the contrast as "the company reflects [Jack Pellitt's] human touch, whereas [Bobby Pellitt's] home
2822-437: The audience were over 25 years of age. The second weekend (15–17 July) saw a further 94 theaters added, for a total of 3,134. Box office revenue dropped by a "respectable" 38%, taking $ 17.6 million for a total gross of $ 60 million in ten days. The film ranked third for the weekend. It remained in the top five films during its third week, dropping 33% and leaving thirty theaters from the previous weekend, to take in $ 11.9 million for
2905-435: The cast. Horrible Bosses 2 was released on November 26, 2014. Black comedy film Black comedy , also known as black humor , bleak comedy , dark comedy , dark humor , gallows humor or morbid humor , is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo , particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discuss. Writers and comedians often use it as
2988-445: The comedy is used to mock the victim. In the last cases, the victim's suffering is trivialized, which leads to sympathizing with the victimizer, as analogously found in the social commentary and social criticism of the writings of (for instance) Sade . Among the first American writers who employed black comedy in their works were Nathanael West and Vladimir Nabokov . The concept of black humor first came to nationwide attention after
3071-505: The day is certainly starting well.' It's generally called Jewish humor in this country. Actually it's humor from the peasants' revolt, the forty years' war, and from the Napoleonic wars. It's small people being pushed this way and that way, enormous armies and plagues and so forth, and still hanging on in the face of hopelessness. Jewish jokes are middle European jokes and the black humorists are gallows humorists, as they try to be funny in
3154-890: The definitive recipe for all punning' (Puns, p. 127). En français on dit « rire jaune », en flamand « groen lachen » Les termes jaune, vert, bleu évoquent en français un certain nombre d'idées qui sont différentes de celles que suscitent les mots holandais correspondants geel, groen, blauw. Nous disons : rire jaune, le Hollandais dit : rire vert ( groen lachen ); ce que le Néerlandais appelle un vert (een groentje), c'est ce qu'en français on désigne du nom de bleu (un jeune soldat inexpéribenté)... On voit que des confrontations de ce genre permettent de concevoir une étude de la psychologie des peuples fondée sur les associations d'idées que révèlent les variations de sens (sémantique), les expressions figurées, les proverbes et les dictions. Q: Critiche feroci, interrogazioni parlamentari: momenti duri per la satira. A: Satira è far ridere
3237-399: The face of situations which they see as just horrible. At least, Swift's text is preserved, and so is a prefatory note by the French writer André Breton, which emphasizes Swift's importance as the originator of black humor, of laughter that arises from cynicism and scepticism. When it comes to black humor, everything designates him as the true initiator. In fact, it is impossible to coordinate
3320-426: The film "a bouncy, well-built, delightfully nasty tale of resentment, desperation, and amoral revenge" and complimented the casting of the protagonists and antagonists. The A.V. Club ' s Nathan Rabin also praised the cast, stating that the picture "succeeds almost entirely on the chemistry of its three leads, who remain likeable even while resorting to homicide", adding the "acting more than compensates for
3403-455: The film does have comes instead from the inordinate quantity of swearing, plus a smattering of homophobia and misogyny." Salon ' s Andrew O'Hehir offered a mixed response, characterizing the film as a "lot funnier in theory than in practice, but it won't ruin your Saturday night". Salon appreciated the "effortless comic chemistry" between Sudeikis, Bateman and Day and singled out Bateman, Aniston and Spacey for their performances. O'Hehir
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3486-482: The film three and a half stars out of four, calling it "well-cast" and commending it for playing to each actor's strengths. Ebert gave particular praise to Spacey, labeling him "superb", and Aniston, judging her performance to be a "surprise" and a return to form, stating "she has acute comic timing and hilariously enacts alarming sexual hungers". Ebert called Horrible Bosses "cheerful and wicked". Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly reacted positively, calling
3569-456: The film's other failings." Rabin singled out Day's performance as "a potent illustration of how a brilliant character actor with a spark of madness can elevate a ramshackle lowbrow farce into a solid mainstream comedy through sheer force of charisma." Edward Douglas of ComingSoon.net credited director Seth Gordon with having assembled "the perfect cast", claiming "the six leads kill in every scene", but echoed Nathan Rabin's sentiments that Day
3652-411: The first three days, making it the number two film in the United States during its opening weekend. The film grossed $ 209.8 million worldwide by the end of its theatrical run. The film received positive reviews, with critics praising the ensemble cast , and each lead being singled out for their performances across reviews. Some reviewers gave praise to the premise and plot, while others commented on
3735-550: The fugitive traces of this kind of humor before him, not even in Heraclitus and the Cynics or in the works of Elizabethan dramatic poets. [...] historically justify his being presented as the first black humorist. Contrary to what Voltaire might have said, Swift was in no sense a "perfected Rabelais." He shared to the smallest possible degree Rabelais's taste for innocent, heavy-handed jokes and his constant drunken good humor. [...]
3818-439: The joke: whether the joke is being told by the threatened person themselves or by someone else. Black comedy has the social effect of strengthening the morale of the oppressed and undermines the morale of the oppressors. According to Wylie Sypher , "to be able to laugh at evil and error means we have surmounted them." Black comedy is a natural human instinct and examples of it can be found in stories from antiquity. Its use
3901-448: The kind-hearted Jack Pellit at his chemical company, but after Jack unexpectedly dies of a heart attack, the company is taken over by Jack's arrogant, cocaine -addicted son Bobby, whose apathy and incompetence threaten the future of the company. At night, over drinks, Kurt jokingly suggests that their lives would be happier if their bosses were no longer around. Initially hesitant, they eventually agree to kill their employers. In search of
3984-423: The laws of England and Wales and Northern Ireland state that: A person is guilty of blackmail if, with a view to gain for himself or another or with intent to cause loss to another, he makes any unwarranted demand with menaces... In popular culture, 'blackmail' involves a threat to reveal or publicize either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It
4067-456: The number two film for the weekend, behind Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($ 47.1 million), the second highest-grossing opening weekend for an original R-rated comedy, again behind Bad Teacher ($ 31.6 million), and the highest-grossing opening weekend ever for a dark/black comedy film, overtaking the 2004 The Stepford Wives ($ 21.4 million). The opening weekend audience was 51% male, and 64% of
4150-614: The opening weekend and accruing a total of $ 855,009 in the first 17 days. On the weekend of July 21–24, the film opened in the United Kingdom ($ 3,386,876), Greece ($ 367,845), Israel ($ 200,372), South Africa ($ 193,632), Norway ($ 109,252) and East Africa ($ 7,324). Horrible Bosses received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an approval rating of 69% based on 220 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "It's nasty, uneven, and far from original, but thanks to
4233-450: The originator of black humor and gallows humor (particularly in his pieces Directions to Servants (1731), A Modest Proposal (1729), Meditation Upon a Broomstick (1710), and in a few aphorisms ). In his book, Breton also included excerpts from 45 other writers, including both examples in which the wit arises from a victim with which the audience empathizes, as is more typical in the tradition of gallows humor, and examples in which
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#17327982676564316-695: The particular type of laughter that it arouses ( risata verde or groen lachen ), and said that grotesque satire , as opposed to ironic satire, is the one that most often arouses this kind of laughter. In the Weimar era Kabaretts , this genre was particularly common, and according to Luttazzi, Karl Valentin and Karl Kraus were the major masters of it. Black comedy is common in professions and environments where workers routinely have to deal with dark subject matter. This includes police officers , firefighters , ambulance crews, military personnel, journalists, lawyers, and funeral directors , where it
4399-548: The peanut butter on the litter. Dale saves Harken by stabbing him with an EpiPen . Nick and Kurt think Dale is stabbing Harken to death and flee, with Kurt accidentally dropping Bobby's phone in Harken's bedroom. The next night, Kurt watches Julia's home, but she seduces and has sex with him. Nick and Dale wait outside Bobby's and Harken's houses, respectively, to commit the murders. Harken discovers Bobby's phone in his bedroom and uses it to find his address, supposing his wife Rhonda
4482-713: The practice was common in the Scottish Highlands as well as the Borders . In the Irish language , the term cíos dubh , meaning " black rent ", was used for similar exactions. Some scholars have argued that blackmail should not be a crime. Objections to the criminalization of blackmail often rest on what legal scholars call "the paradox of blackmail": it takes two separate actions that, in many cases, people are legally and morally entitled to do, and criminalizes them if done together. One American legal scholar uses
4565-417: The premise, which she felt lacked any legitimate "rage" against the characters' bosses, stating "...there's every sign that, even without these particular emasculators, Dale, Kurt and Nick would still be—for lack of a better word—total pussies." Longworth felt that the humor was "rarely actually laugh-out-loud funny, and never truly dark or daring". She particularly criticized the all-white, male protagonists and
4648-399: The provocations of reality, to let itself be compelled to suffer. It insists that it cannot be affected by the traumas of the external world; it shows, in fact, that such traumas are no more than occasions for it to gain pleasure." Some other sociologists elaborated this concept further. At the same time, Paul Lewis warns that this "relieving" aspect of gallows jokes depends on the context of
4731-476: The publication of a 1965 mass-market paperback titled Black Humor , edited by Bruce Jay Friedman . The paperback was one of the first American anthologies devoted to the concept of black humor as a literary genre. With the paperback, Friedman labeled as "black humorists" a variety of authors, such as J. P. Donleavy , Edward Albee , Joseph Heller , Thomas Pynchon , John Barth , Vladimir Nabokov, Bruce Jay Friedman himself, and Louis-Ferdinand Céline . Among
4814-634: The quality of the joke-writing. A sequel, Horrible Bosses 2 , was released on November 26, 2014. Nick Hendricks, Dale Arbus and Kurt Buckman are friends working in Riverside, California who despise their bosses: Nick works at a financial firm for the sadistic Dave Harken, who hints at a possible promotion for Nick for months, only to award it to himself; Dale is a dental assistant being sexually harassed by his boss, Dr. Julia Harris, who threatens to tell his fiancée Stacy that he had sex with her unless he actually has sex with her ; Kurt enjoys working for
4897-504: The recent writers suggested as black humorists by journalists and literary critics are Roald Dahl , Kurt Vonnegut , Warren Zevon , Christopher Durang , Philip Roth , and Veikko Huovinen . Evelyn Waugh has been called "the first contemporary writer to produce the sustained black comic novel." The motive for applying the label black humorist to the writers cited above is that they have written novels, poems, stories, plays, and songs in which profound or horrific events were portrayed in
4980-579: The rights to the network premiere of the film. Horrible Bosses was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the United States on October 11, 2011 by Warner Home Video . The DVD version sold an estimated 400,682 units in the United States during its first week, earning approximately $ 6.1 million. It was the number 2 best selling DVD of the week, finishing behind Green Lantern , and the number 3 Blu-ray disc film behind Green Lantern and The Lion King . As of November 2012 , it has sold an estimated 1.3 million units and earned $ 18.3 million. The DVD contains
5063-595: The role of David Harken, described as a psychopathic master manipulator with an attractive wife. Kevin Spacey signed up for the role in June 2010. Ashton Kutcher was in talks to play Dale Arbus at two different points in the lengthy production, before the role ultimately went to Charlie Day . "It's like we have a team of three people playing against an opposing team of three, with the Jamie Foxx character as referee. We wanted to distinguish these three environments and play
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#17327982676565146-402: The script in 2010, and the project went into production with Seth Gordon directing. During the six-year development of the film, several actors were in negotiations to star, including Owen Wilson , Vince Vaughn , Matthew McConaughey , Ryan Reynolds , Dax Shepard , and Johnny Knoxville . Tom Cruise , Philip Seymour Hoffman , and Jeff Bridges had been approached by New Line Cinema to take
5229-416: The sequel, and that production had moved towards finalizing the budget. Later in the same month Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis were confirmed to be reprising their roles, with Foxx negotiating to return. The film was again produced by Brett Ratner and Jay Stern. In August 2013, it was announced that Gordon would not be returning to direct because of scheduling conflicts and that the studio was actively searching for
5312-439: The surrounding "cold grey and blue" color palette of his office. Harken's home was described as "equally lacking in warmth" as the office but more lavishly decorated and "for show", including an intentionally oversized portrait of him with his "trophy wife". Designing Julia's office was described as a "challenge", infusing a "sensual vibe" into a dental office. Frankel approached the design through Julia's mentality, stating, "She's
5395-487: The surrounding imagery, the warehouse required an extensive series of overhauls, including cutting windows into concrete walls and creating new doorways to allow for visuals of the warehouse exterior and provide a setting for the final scene of Sutherland's character. A T.G.I. Friday's in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles , was used as a bar frequented by Nick, Dale, and Kurt, while the bar scene where they meet with Jones
5478-420: The tape that has Harken confessing to Bobby's murder. Harken is sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, while the friends get their charges waived. Nick is promoted to president of the company with a raise under a friendly but slightly psychotic CEO; Kurt remains in his position under a promoted co-worker; Dale, with the help of Jones, blackmails Julia into ending her harassment. On July 27, 2010, Isaiah Mustafa
5561-454: The term black comedy is a relatively broad term covering humour relating to many serious subjects, gallows humor tends to be used more specifically in relation to death, or situations that are reminiscent of dying. Black humour can occasionally be related to the grotesque genre. Literary critics have associated black comedy and black humour with authors as early as the ancient Greeks with Aristophanes . The term black humour (from
5644-475: The theatrical cut of the film and deleted scenes . The Blu-ray Disc edition contains the Blu-ray Disc, the DVD and a digital version of the film in a single pack. The Blu-ray Disc version is an unrated, extended cut (the "Totally Inappropriate Edition") with a runtime of 106 minutes compared to the theatrical 98 minutes. The Blu-ray Disc contains deleted scenes and four featurettes: My Least Favorite Career , Surviving
5727-476: The trio have difficulty pronouncing. Chad Coleman appears as a bar owner. Michael Markowitz's script for Horrible Bosses was sold at auction to New Line Cinema by Brett Ratner 's production company Rat Entertainment in 2005 for a six-figure amount. Ratner initially was interested in directing, but became occupied with directing the comedy Tower Heist . Frank Oz and David Dobkin were in talks to direct. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley rewrote
5810-408: The two sides off each other. Each environment is a reflection of the person who controls it." – Production designer Shepherd Frankel on the approach to set design. Production designer Shepherd Frankel specifically set out to create distinctly different environments for the three employees and their respective bosses' homes and offices. Nick and Harken's workplace is the "Comnidyne" bullpen, which
5893-435: The ways that count and even when it shouldn’t, Horrible Bosses works." USA Today ' s Scott Bowles awarded the film three out of four stars, labeling it a "surprising comedy that rivals Bridesmaids as the funniest film of the summer, if not the year." Bowles added that "the characters are so likable", giving particular credit to Sudeikis though also adding praise for the performances of Bateman and Day. The dialogue
5976-424: Was also lauded by Bowles, which commented that "Seth Gordon has a deft touch with water-cooler talk—even when the water cooler might be spiked with poison." Leonard Maltin of indieWire considered Day to have had the "breakout role" and offered praise to the performances of the cast, but lamented the lack of screen time for Farrell's character. Maltin concluded "the movie has just enough raunchiness to identify it as
6059-492: Was bought by New Line Cinema in 2005 and the film spent six years in various states of pre-production, with a variety of actors attached to different roles. By 2010, Goldstein and Daley had rewritten the script, and the film finally went into production. The film premiered in Los Angeles on June 30, 2011, and was released on July 8, 2011. The film exceeded financial expectations, accruing over $ 28 million in
6142-450: Was confirmed as joining the cast, appearing as Officer Wilkens. Ioan Gruffudd has a cameo as a male urophile prostitute erroneously hired as a hitman. Bob Newhart makes a cameo as sadistic Comnidyne CEO Louis Sherman. John Francis Daley , a screenwriter on the film, cameos as Nick's co-worker Carter. Meghan Markle has a role in the film as a FedEx girl. Brian George voices navigation-system operator Gregory, whose real name, Atmanand,
6225-470: Was confirmed that a sequel was moving forward, and that Goldstein and Daley would be returning to write the script. New Line was reported to be negotiating with Gordon to return as director, with Bateman, Day, and Sudeikis also expected to return to their roles. On February 27, 2012, it was confirmed that Goldstein and Daley were in the process of writing the new script. In March 2013, Goldstein and Daley confirmed that they had submitted multiple draft scripts for
6308-544: Was designed to "enhance the discomfort and anxiety of lower-level employees clustered in the center of the room where every movement is monitored by the boss from his corner office." The design team met with financial strategists and management companies to learn about the architecture of their office layouts to visually represent the experience of starting from a low-ranking position in a cubicle and aspiring to an office. Costume designer Carol Ramsey worked with Frankel and set decorator Jan Pascale to match Harken's suit to that of
6391-460: Was funnier than it is" The Guardian ' s Philip French called Horrible Bosses "a lumbering, misogynistic affair", but admitted "I laughed frequently, probably to the detriment of my self-respect." Nicholas Barber of The Independent gave a positive review, complimenting Gordon for not allowing the actors' improvisation to be detrimental to the pacing, but felt the movie was not as "dark" as its premise required, saying "what edginess
6474-414: Was however critical of the perceived homophobia, sexism and racism. The Hollywood Reporter ' s Kirk Honeycutt responded negatively, stating the jokes failed to be funny, stating "Seth Gordon shows no flair for turning the absurdities and cartoonish characters in the script...into anything more than a collection of moments in search of laughs." Karina Longworth of The Village Voice was critical of
6557-571: Was paid in goods or labour ( reditus nigri , or "blackmail"); the opposite is blanche firmes or reditus albi , or "white rent" (denoting payment by silver). An alternative version is that rents in the Scottish Borders were often paid in produce of the land, called " greenmail " ('green rent'), suggesting "blackmail" as a counterpart paid perforce to the reivers. Alternatively, Mackay derives it from two Scottish Gaelic words blathaich pronounced (the th silent) bla-ich (to protect) and mal (tribute, payment), cf. buttock mail . He notes that
6640-408: Was paid in goods or labour ("nigri"); hence reditus nigri , or "blackmail". The word blackmail is variously derived from the word for mailing (in modern terms, protection racket ) paid by English and Scottish border dwellers to Border Reivers in return for immunity from raids and other harassment. The "mail" part of blackmail derives from Middle English male , "rent, tribute". This tribute
6723-521: Was released in physical and digital formats on July 5, 2011, by WaterTower Music . The soundtrack consists of 33 tracks with a runtime of 63 minutes. The world premiere of Horrible Bosses took place on June 30, 2011, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California . Horrible Bosses grossed $ 117.5 million (56.1%) in North America and $ 92.2 million (43.9%) in other territories for
6806-627: Was staged in downtown Los Angeles. The film was shot digitally using the Panavision Genesis camera. Gordon encouraged the actors to improvise, though Aniston claimed to not have taken advantage of the offer as much as her co-stars, stating, "My dialogue was just so beautifully choreographed that there wasn’t much that I needed to do". The soundtrack was composed by award-winning composer Christopher Lennertz , with music contributed by Mike McCready of Pearl Jam , Stefan Lessard of Dave Matthews Band and Money Mark —a collaborator with
6889-603: Was widespread in middle Europe , from where it was imported to the United States. It is rendered with the German expression Galgenhumor (cynical last words before getting hanged ). The concept of gallows humor is comparable to the French expression rire jaune (lit. yellow laughing ), which also has a Germanic equivalent in the Belgian Dutch expression groen lachen (lit. green laughing ). Italian comedian Daniele Luttazzi discussed gallows humour focusing on
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