 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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
Ġwell Ġ@ - @ Ġcast Ġ" Ġand Ġcomm ending Ġit Ġfor Ġplaying Ġto Ġeach Ġactor Ġ' s Ġstrengths Ġ. ĠE bert Ġgave Ġparticular Ġpraise Ġto ĠSpace y Ġ, Ġlabeling Ġhim Ġ" Ġsuperb Ġ" Ġ, Ġand ĠAn iston Ġ, Ġjudging Ġher Ġperformance Ġto Ġbe Ġa Ġ" Ġsurprise Ġ" Ġand Ġa Ġreturn Ġto Ġform Ġ, Ġstating Ġ" Ġshe Ġhas Ġacute Ġcomic Ġtiming Ġand Ġhilar iously Ġen acts Ġalarming Ġsexual Ġhung ers Ġ" Ġ. ĠE bert Ġcalled ĠHor rible ĠBoss es Ġ" Ġcheerful Ġand Ġwicked Ġ" Ġ. ĠLisa ĠSchwarz baum Ġof ĠEntertainment ĠWeekly Ġreacted Ġpositively Ġ, Ġcalling Ġthe Ġfilm Ġ" Ġa Ġboun cy Ġ, Ġwell Ġ@ - @ Ġbuilt Ġ, Ġdelight fully Ġnasty Ġtale Ġof Ġresentment Ġ, Ġdesperation Ġ, Ġand Ġam oral Ġrevenge Ġ" Ġand Ġcompliment ed Ġthe Ġcasting Ġof Ġthe Ġprotagonists Ġand Ġantagonists Ġ. ĠThe ĠA . V . ĠClub Ġ' s ĠNathan ĠR abin Ġalso Ġpraised Ġthe Ġcast Ġ, Ġstating Ġthat Ġthe Ġpicture Ġ" Ġsucceeds Ġalmost Ġentirely Ġon Ġthe Ġchemistry Ġof Ġits Ġthree Ġleads Ġ, Ġwho Ġremain Ġlike able Ġeven Ġwhile Ġresort ing Ġto Ġhomicide Ġ" Ġ, Ġadding Ġthe Ġ" Ġacting Ġmore Ġthan Ġcompens ates Ġfor Ġthe Ġfilm Ġ' s Ġother Ġfailings Ġ. Ġ" ĠR abin Ġsingled Ġout ĠDay Ġ' s Ġperformance Ġas Ġ" Ġa Ġpotent Ġillustration Ġof Ġhow Ġa Ġbrilliant Ġcharacter Ġactor Ġwith Ġa Ġspark Ġof Ġmadness Ġcan Ġelevate Ġa Ġram sh ackle Ġlow brow Ġfar ce Ġinto Ġa Ġsolid Ġmainstream Ġcomedy Ġthrough Ġsheer Ġforce Ġof Ġcharisma Ġ. Ġ" ĠEdward ĠDouglas Ġof ĠComing Soon . net Ġcredited Ġdirector ĠSeth ĠGordon Ġwith Ġhaving Ġassembled Ġ" Ġthe Ġperfect Ġcast Ġ" Ġ, Ġclaiming Ġ" Ġthe Ġsix Ġleads Ġkill Ġin Ġevery Ġscene Ġ" Ġ, Ġbut Ġechoed ĠNathan ĠR abin Ġ' s Ġsentiments Ġthat ĠDay Ġis Ġthe Ġ" Ġreal Ġstandout Ġ" Ġ. ĠDouglas Ġsummarized Ġthe Ġpicture Ġas Ġ" Ġdark Ġfun Ġthat Ġworks Ġbetter Ġthan Ġexpected Ġdue Ġto Ġa Ġwell Ġ@ - @ Ġdeveloped Ġscript Ġ, Ġan Ġimpecc able Ġcast Ġand Ġa Ġdirector Ġwho Ġknows Ġhow Ġto Ġput Ġthe Ġtwo Ġtogether Ġ" Ġ. ĠA . ĠO . ĠScott Ġof ĠThe ĠNew ĠYork ĠTimes Ġstated Ġ" Ġthe Ġtiming Ġof Ġthe Ġcast Ġ... Ġis Ġimpecc able Ġ" Ġand Ġappreciated Ġthat Ġthe Ġscript Ġdid Ġnot Ġattempt Ġ" Ġto Ġcut Ġits Ġco ars eness Ġwith Ġa Ġhypocritical Ġdose Ġof Ġsweetness Ġor Ġrespect ability Ġ" Ġ. ĠThe Ġreview Ġconcluded Ġthat Ġ" Ġin Ġthe Ġways Ġthat Ġcount Ġand Ġeven Ġwhen Ġit Ġshouldn ĠâĢ Ļ Ġt Ġ, ĠHor rible ĠBoss es Ġworks Ġ. Ġ" Ġ Ġ ĠUSA ĠToday Ġ' s ĠScott ĠBow les Ġawarded Ġthe Ġfilm Ġthree Ġout Ġof Ġfour Ġstars Ġ, Ġlabeling Ġit Ġa Ġ" Ġsurprising Ġcomedy Ġthat Ġrivals ĠBr ides maid s Ġas Ġthe Ġfunn iest Ġfilm Ġof Ġthe Ġsummer Ġ, Ġif Ġnot Ġthe Ġyear Ġ. Ġ" ĠBow les Ġadded Ġthat Ġ" Ġthe Ġcharacters Ġare Ġso Ġlik able Ġ" Ġ, Ġgiving Ġparticular Ġcredit Ġto ĠS ude ik is Ġthough Ġalso Ġadding Ġpraise Ġfor Ġthe Ġperformances Ġof ĠBat eman Ġand ĠDay Ġ. ĠThe Ġdialogue Ġwas Ġalso Ġlauded Ġby ĠBow les Ġ, Ġwhich Ġcommented Ġthat Ġ" ĠSeth ĠGordon Ġhas Ġa Ġdeft Ġtouch Ġwith Ġwater Ġ@ - @ Ġcooler Ġtalk ĠâĢĶ Ġeven Ġwhen Ġthe Ġwater Ġcooler Ġmight Ġbe Ġspiked Ġwith Ġpoison Ġ. Ġ" ĠLeonard ĠMalt in Ġof Ġindie Wire Ġconsidered ĠDay Ġto Ġhave Ġhad Ġthe Ġ" Ġbreakout Ġrole Ġ" Ġand Ġoffered Ġpraise Ġto Ġthe Ġperformances Ġof Ġthe Ġcast Ġ, Ġbut Ġlamented Ġthe Ġlack Ġof Ġscreen Ġtime Ġfor ĠFarrell Ġ' s Ġcharacter Ġ. ĠMalt in Ġconcluded Ġ" Ġthe Ġmovie Ġhas Ġjust Ġenough Ġr aunch iness Ġto Ġidentify Ġit Ġas Ġa Ġ2011 Ġcomedy Ġ, Ġjust Ġenough Ġcle vern ess Ġto Ġadmire Ġ, Ġand Ġjust Ġthe Ġright Ġcam ar ader ie Ġamong Ġits Ġthree Ġmale Ġstars Ġ, Ġwhich Ġturns Ġout Ġto Ġbe Ġthe Ġmovie ĠâĢ Ļ Ġs Ġgreatest Ġstrength Ġ. Ġ" ĠRolling ĠStone Ġ' s ĠPeter ĠTra vers Ġgave Ġk udos Ġto Ġthe Ġ" Ġkiller Ġcast Ġ" Ġ, Ġwith Ġspecific Ġcredit Ġgiven Ġto ĠBat eman Ġand ĠDay Ġ, Ġbut Ġwas Ġcritical Ġof Ġthe Ġmovie Ġ, Ġstating Ġ" Ġit Ġw uss ies Ġout Ġon Ġa Ġsharp Ġpremise Ġ" Ġand Ġthat Ġit Ġis Ġa Ġ" Ġhit Ġ@ - @ Ġand Ġ@ - @ Ġmiss Ġfar ce Ġthat Ġleaves Ġyou Ġwishing Ġit Ġwas Ġfunn ier Ġthan Ġit Ġis Ġ" ĠThe ĠGuardian Ġ' s ĠPhilip ĠFrench Ġcalled ĠHor rible ĠBoss es Ġ" Ġa Ġlumber ing Ġ, Ġmisogyn istic Ġaffair Ġ" Ġ, Ġbut Ġadmitted Ġ" ĠI Ġlaughed Ġfrequently Ġ, Ġprobably Ġto Ġthe Ġdetriment Ġof Ġmy Ġself Ġ@ - @ Ġrespect Ġ. Ġ" ĠNicholas ĠBarber Ġof ĠThe ĠIndependent Ġgave Ġa Ġpositive Ġreview Ġ, Ġcompliment ing ĠGordon Ġfor Ġnot Ġallowing Ġthe Ġactors Ġ' Ġimprovis ation Ġto Ġbe Ġdetrimental Ġto Ġthe Ġpacing Ġ, Ġbut Ġfelt Ġthe Ġmovie Ġwas Ġnot Ġas Ġ" Ġdark Ġ" Ġas Ġits Ġpremise Ġrequired Ġ, Ġsaying Ġ" Ġwhat Ġed g iness Ġthe Ġfilm Ġdoes Ġhave Ġcomes Ġinstead Ġfrom Ġthe Ġin ordinate Ġquantity Ġof Ġswearing Ġ, Ġplus Ġa Ġsm attering Ġof Ġhomophobia Ġand Ġmisogyny Ġ. Ġ" Ġ Ġ ĠSalon Ġ' s ĠAndrew ĠO Ġ' He h ir Ġoffered Ġa Ġmixed Ġresponse Ġ, Ġcharacter izing Ġthe Ġfilm Ġas Ġa Ġ" Ġlot Ġfunn ier Ġin Ġtheory Ġthan Ġin Ġpractice Ġ, Ġbut Ġit Ġwon Ġ' t Ġruin Ġyour ĠSaturday Ġnight Ġ" Ġ. ĠSalon Ġappreciated Ġthe Ġ" Ġeffort less Ġcomic Ġchemistry Ġ" Ġbetween ĠS ude ik is Ġ, ĠBat eman Ġand ĠDay Ġand Ġsingled Ġout ĠBat eman Ġ, ĠAn iston Ġand ĠSpace y Ġfor Ġtheir Ġperformances Ġ. ĠO Ġ' He h ir Ġwas Ġhowever Ġcritical Ġof Ġthe Ġperceived Ġhomophobia Ġ, Ġsexism Ġand Ġracism Ġ. ĠThe ĠHollywood ĠReporter Ġ' s ĠKirk ĠHoney cut t Ġresponded Ġnegatively Ġ, Ġstating Ġthe Ġjokes Ġfailed Ġto Ġbe Ġfunny Ġ, Ġstating Ġ" ĠSeth ĠGordon Ġshows Ġno Ġflair Ġfor Ġturning Ġthe Ġabsurd ities Ġand Ġcartoon ish Ġcharacters Ġin Ġthe Ġscript Ġ... Ġinto Ġanything Ġmore Ġthan Ġa Ġcollection Ġof Ġmoments Ġin Ġsearch Ġof Ġlaughs Ġ. Ġ" ĠKar ina ĠLong worth Ġof ĠThe ĠVillage ĠVoice Ġwas Ġcritical Ġof Ġthe Ġpremise Ġ, Ġwhich Ġshe Ġfelt Ġlacked Ġany Ġlegitimate Ġ" Ġrage Ġ" Ġagainst Ġthe Ġcharacters Ġ' Ġbosses Ġ, Ġstating Ġ" Ġ... Ġthere Ġ' s Ġevery Ġsign Ġthat Ġ, Ġeven Ġwithout Ġthese Ġparticular Ġem as cul ators Ġ, ĠDale Ġ, ĠKurt Ġand ĠNick Ġwould Ġstill Ġbe ĠâĢĶ Ġfor Ġlack Ġof Ġa Ġbetter Ġword ĠâĢĶ Ġtotal Ġp uss ies Ġ. Ġ" ĠLong worth Ġfelt