1495. The Boss (2016)

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage

Director: Ben Falcone

Running Time: 99 mins

The Boss is an American film about a former business magnate who, after having been released from prison for insider trading, takes a space in a friend’s house, where she soon becomes involved in a brownie-selling racket.

This film wasn’t all that bad. There have definitely been funnier comedies from Melissa McCarthy, but there have also been far worse. The Boss itself isn’t a riotous laugh, and it tails off dramatically towards its final act, but it’s always a surprisingly enjoyable and never annoying watch, making it a solid movie, albeit not a great one.

Let’s start on the bright side, and the biggest compliment I can give this film is that it isn’t irritating. Some have said films like The Boss and Tammy have shown Melissa McCarthy as the new Adam Sandler, but I disagree. Sure, her character is annoying, but she adds enough charisma to the role to make it entertaining.

She never drops to the depths of just screaming or putting on a dumb accent for cheap laughs, proving that she doesn’t deserve that title. There are far better performances from McCarthy out there, but this one makes the best of a mediocre character and proves ultimately enjoyable.

Alongside McCarthy, there are a few good supporting performances too. Kristen Bell is very likable as the voice of reason throughout, whilst there’s also a surprising performance from Tyler Labine, who provides a lot of the best chuckles later on. Peter Dinklage isn’t so great, but it is a role we’ve seen him do well before, so even though it’s a little frustrating, it’s clear the poor turn isn’t entirely his doing.

On the whole, the performances go a long way to making this an enjoyable watch, especially when the comedy just isn’t up to scratch. Although there’s a couple of good laughs along the way, they don’t make up for the mostly incredibly repetitive humour, and that does get boring after a while. The story suffers a similar fate, starting off with an entertaining premise but ultimately running it too long, particularly as we hit the hugely out-of-place finale, and that’s what makes the film a lot less enjoyable than it initially suggests.

Overall, I enjoyed The Boss, but up to a point. It does well at not being annoying, and the performances are generally quite entertaining, but the film’s humour and story drop off so much towards the final act was disappointing  to see, and that’s why The Boss gets a 6.9 from me.