Horrible Bosses 2

Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day played three misguided drones who wanted to seek revenge against their monstrous bosses in Horrible Bosses: Part 1. However, in its sequel they went into business for themselves selling shower buddy gadgets but got caught by an internet retailer (Christoph Waltz) whose son (Chris Pine playing himself as an actor) outwitted them and took away their company; feeling outplayed and desperate they devised an ambitious scheme of kidnap-and-ransom to restore control.

The film’s few charms come from its central cast. Sudeikis turns his aloof idiot routine into something endearingly charming while Day continues his masterful comic exasperation. Pine holds his own against these major stars despite not having as many lines. And Jamie Foxx returns as low-life criminal “Motherfucker Jones.”

Horrible Bosses 2 follows in the same footsteps of its predecessor. Most comedic sequels rely on audiences laughing once at something, then laughing again later on; Horrible Bosses 2 does attempt this approach and mostly succeeds; however, its comedy can become repetitive as its running time lengthens and its novelty fades over time.

Director Sean Anders and writer John Morris have done their best to avoid turning this installment into an overly monotonous experience, yet still manage to waste the talents of an outstanding cast.

This sequel to a comedy is one of the worst sequels I’ve seen and isn’t worth your money. There are too many jokes that don’t land, while even when they do land they don’t seem nearly as funny the second time around.

Although this film does feature some good moments, it lacks the same level of chemistry and creativity found in its predecessor. There are too many unintentionally funny jokes which don’t work; even good jokes have worn thin.

This sequel to an enjoyable comedy from 2014 only marginally improves upon its predecessor; and that doesn’t say much given how enjoyable the original was. While we may wish this poorly made farce wasn’t made at all, we can at least hope that its next installment won’t be such an embarrassment to watch.