Review: The Boss (2016)

             

         
                           'The Boss' Has Some Ruling Status

       Well, it is a far fry from Spy. But at least this effort from Melissa McCarthy is no Tammy.

        Story:
       The Boss follows the story of powerful business mogul named Michelle Darnell (Melissa McCarthy) who loses her fortune after being put in prison for insider training. Now she, along with her personal assistant Claire (Kristen Bell), looks to get back on top by starting a brownie empire.

        Ups:
       I'll start off with Melissa McCarthy. The main reason I went and saw this is simply to be Melissa McCarthy be funny and that is surely what I got. I still think her best and funniest work is Spy, but she does exemplary work here. I also liked the pairing between her and Kristen Bell. Bell plays the perfect "straight man" to McCarthy's more outlandish Michelle that causes the hijinks to ensue.

       The film even manages to give Michelle plenty of backstory to make us understand why she is the way she is and why she wants to try and persevere on her own. I really liked how they gave us backstory so that it doesn't make the character seem entirely like a one-dimensional jerk.

       The story in general has some very good ideas. Kind of like the movie Joy, which also depicts a woman running her own empire, it shows how when all else fails and nobody lends a helping hand, the only person left to rely on is yourself. That is what Darnell kept reminding herself as she built her own empire. But I would say this is a far better film than Joy. This one isn't flawless, by any means, but it at least kept me engaged throughout while Joy was a real drag.

       Downs:
      I wasn’t that crazy about the ending. I thought it was not only predictable, but half-assed and rushed. Even the buildup towards the end kind of dragged the film down.

       Also, there is a subplot involving Peter Dinklage who plays a rival entrepreneur that gets Michelle arrested that appears on and off the film that didn't really gel in my opinion. They could've left it out almost entirely and it would've been a little better.

     Consensus:
    Overall, The Boss has an expectedly hilarious performance from Melissa McCarthy that is slightly problematic but is still a simple fun time. It's not schmaltzy Oscar catnip but it's not aiming to be. Just go in, expecting a funny time at the movies, and that's what you'll get.

Grade: B-