Horrible Bosses 2 wants to be a sequel that improves on the original. It doesn’t. The film tries to build on the three friends who conspired against their bosses, but the jokes fall flat and the plot grows thin.
Trailer, via Warner Bros. UK & Ireland.
What Works
The cast delivers energy even when the material doesn’t earn it. Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis still play their characters with the same chemistry that made the first film work. Jennifer Aniston returns as the lawyer who helps them, and she lands a few of the funniest lines in the movie.
What Doesn’t Work
The setup loses the charm of the original. Instead of three friends who simply want out of bad jobs, the new film piles on a business deal gone wrong and a plot to get back at their former employer. The stakes feel forced, and the comedy rarely rises above a one-liner delivered at speed.
The villains are thinner than the first film’s. Chris Hemsworth plays a rich man who gets in the way of the heroes, and his character feels like a cartoon version of a villain rather than a fully drawn person. Jamie Foxx shows up as a gangster who offers to help, but his role is small and wasted.
The film also leans too heavily on physical comedy and crude jokes about sex. Some scenes land. Most don’t.
| Element | Original Film | Horrible Bosses 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | Strong | Still present, but strained |
| Plot | Simple revenge plan | Complicated business scheme |
| Humor | Mostly verbal | Mostly physical and crude |
| Stakes | Personal | Financial and public |
The film also suffers from pacing. Scenes run together without much purpose, and the middle stretch drags badly. The payoff, when it comes, feels rushed rather than earned.
There are a few moments worth noting:
- A scene where Jennifer Aniston explains the legal trouble the friends face
- A chase through a shopping mall that leans on physical comedy
- A late joke about the gangster’s reputation
These are scattered islands in a sea of missed jokes. They aren’t enough to save the film.
Horrible Bosses 2 is a disappointment, and not a small one. It fails to honor the friendship that made the first film work, and it replaces that with a plot that never quite catches fire. The jokes are often unfunny, the villains are weak, and the pacing sags badly in the middle.
The film earns a 4 out of 10.
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