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Movie Review: The Boss and home movies

The Boss has it's moments but not enough to make a great comedy. 

The Boss stars Melissa McCarthy as Michelle Darnell, the leader of a business whose only practice seems to be getting people to go to a motivational seminar and selling them a program that will make them rich. When she is sent to prison for insider trading and loses everything, she has to move in with her former assistant, Claire (Kristen Bell) and Claire’s daughter, Rachel (Ella Anderson). Michele soon finds her way back to the top via selling brownies and recruiting school girls to sell them door to door in the same manner that Girls Scouts sell cookies. Of course it becomes successful and soon Michele begins to turn back to her backstabbing, winner take all, business ways.

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8GAMZqJqjs

Comedy is a subjective thing. I have a pretty good sense of humor but sometimes I just don’t laugh at things. There are some things I don’t think are very funny. I don’t think it’s funny to have children fighting each other. The Boss has a street fight scene between children (some of it is a little funny, not much actual violence is depicted). I don’t see the joke in an adult hitting a child (McCarthy’s Michelle clotheslines a girl in same street fight). I don’t see the point in making an R-rated comedy that doesn’t need to be an R-Rated comedy. The Boss could have been just as funny if they had cleaned up the language and some of the jokes to make it PG-13. I promise I’m not a prude but it just felt unnecessary. Why does a comedy that centers around selling brownies need to be rated R? It’s not like they were headed to Las Vegas for a weekend of drunken debauchery.

I do think that Melissa McCarthy is a very funny actress with the right material. This is not the best comedy she’s been in but it’s not the worst and her gift for physical comedy is often overlooked and those were some of the better moments of the film. The Boss was written by McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone who also directed and briefly stars as her lawyer. Peter Dinklage stars as McCarthy’s rival and former lover Renault in a scene stealing role. Also making appearances are Tyler Labine, Cecily Strong, Cedric Yarbrough, Michael McDonald, and Kathy Bates.

I just can’t recommend that you rush out and see The Boss this weekend. Wait for it on home video.

Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_je40DOn8s

Also in theaters this week, Hardcore Henry is an interesting idea in filmmaking in that it’s all shot from a first-person point of view. That means that you’re the main character. You’re part cyborg and you’re woken up by woman who says she is your wife and that you must escape. Moments later your wife is kidnapped, you’re on the run, you’re being shot at, and you find that you have some pretty special abilities that include a knack for fighting and surviving gun battles. If you survive long enough, you might learn uncover the secrets behind your existence and maybe save the day. Remember that this is shot in first person so if you get queasy or motion sick, this might not be the best movie to see.

Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MVsuFX5x08

Jake Gyllenhaal returns to the screen in Demolition as Davis Mitchell, a successful investment banker, struggling after losing his wife in a tragic car crash. His life is unraveling and after what starts as a complaint letter to a vending machine company turns into a series of letters revealing startling personal admissions. His letters catch the attention of customer service rep, Karen and amidst emotional and financial burdens of her own, the two form an unlikely connection. With the help of Karen and her son Davis starts to rebuild, beginning with the demolition of the life he once knew. Demolition is directed by Jean-Marc Vallee who also directed the excellent films Wild and Dallas Buyers Club.

Here's what's coming out on home video this week:

  • Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
  • Sunset Boulevard
  • The Right Stuff
  • The Princess Bride
  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • Best In Show
  • Boogie Nights
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • Mystic River
  • Inside Man
  • Erin Brokovich
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
  • Dolphin Tale
  • Elizabeth
  • Bowfinger
  • V for Vendetta

I recommend Star Wars (obviously) and pretty much everything else on this list.

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