Horrible Bosses 2

Stars: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Lindsay Sloane

Director: Sean Anders

The first film was a success despite decidedly mixed reviews, so probably this sequel will also do well. But this is lazy film-making, stuffed with an overload of the usual sexual references which pass for humour in today's American cinema, and crammed with the bad language that helps an already over-inflated plot past the hour-and-three-quarter mark.

Aniston and Spacey reappear from the first film, but are given little to do, respectively, but talk very dirty and screech a stream of obscenities.

Naturally our heroes, Messrs Bateman, Day and Sudeikis, are also back. Dumb, dumber and imbecilic, they make the Three Stooges look like masterminds. Here they set up their own business, only to be shafted by their supposed backers, sharkish business tycoon Waltz and his smarmy son Pine: Pine's evil charmer is the best thing in the film.

A revenge kidnap idea goes inevitably wrong, but a new idea springs from the brighter mind of Pine, who seems to want to get his own back on a father who has ceased to bankroll his excesses.

The actors appear to be enjoying themselves immensely, especially as evidenced by the cringeworthy end credit scenes, but in truth this is for the most part dismally unfunny, flatly directed by Anders, wickedly over-acted by the leading trio and without any genuine verbal or visual wit.

David Quinlan

USA 2014. UK Distributor: Warner Brothers. Colour (unspecified).
108 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 1, Drugs 0, Swearing 3.

Review date: 24 Nov 2014