The Boss

Score:  ***1/2 out of ***** (B-)

Directed by Ben Falcone
Starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage
Running time:  99 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  The Boss is the newest comedy feature from superstar Melissa McCarthy.  She slips into the new role (a self-serving "0.1 percenter") with great skill and her usual massive dose of hilarity.  Unfortunately, the plotting and writing that attempt to form a semblance of a story around her great performance fail miserably.  Still, if you're a fan of the star, it's worth seeing.


Michelle Darnell (McCarthy) has never been a very nice person.  Raised in an orphanage, she made few friends but also quickly learned how to get ahead - by any means necessary.  She even betrayed her one true connection, Renault (Dinklage), as she made her way to the top.  Once she got there, Darnell became revered by millions - those who didn't know her, but who craved her fame, power, and wealth.  However, Darnell becomes a bit too comfortable in her status and sees it all come crashing down in an insider trading conviction.  Having to support her child, Darnell's loyal but put-upon assistant Claire (Bell) leaves her behind, as does everyone else.

When she emerges from prison, Darnell is determined to become bigger than ever, now further motivated by those who abandoned or hurt her.  Still, she is starting back at square one, and so she pleads with her former assistant for help.  The way forward seems impossible, but Darnell's nose for opportunity leads her to the unlikeliest of "markets" as she attempts to rebuild.

The Boss has a decent cast, but of course, all are subordinate here to the queen of comedy, Melissa McCarthy.  She dives into her new character, and matching wig, with her typical gusto and is the driving force behind everything good in the film.  McCarthy is deceptively good, in fact: her character is truly a rotten egg, an expert at controlling and manipulating others without any regard for them, not to mention an enormous ego.  Yet while McCarthy presents all that with great skill and makes you feel it, she somehow also makes the character sympathetic and real; the character is not exaggerated (well, in these terms, anyway) and almost feels... normal.  This is all in addition to being hilarious as always, and so McCarthy deserves great credit for her performance.  Dinklage is also fun in a pretty small role.  His character is certainly over the top, but entertainingly so (particularly in the final act).  Bell is fairly bland as McCarthy's straight co-star and is essentially a plot device (albeit one with a lot of screen time).  Among the other supporting roles, my favorites are Cecily Strong (current SNL cast member as Claire's weird post-Darnell boss) and Kristen Schaal (as a timid Girl Scouts troop leader).

The Boss has some very good things going for it... and a lot going against it, too, unfortunately.  As previously mentioned, McCarthy is as hilarious as ever, and her character work is among her best ever.  The movie has plenty of laughs, which is a comedy's first priority, naturally.  There are several standout sets, especially a knock-down, drag-out street fight between rival Girl Scout troops (yes, I'm serious); and Darnell's attempts to "adjust" Claire's wardrobe for a date.  McCarthy also has a great ability to dig out extra humor and interest from otherwise normal scenes, an underrated skill.  However, there's also quite a bit going against The Boss as well.  Aside from a few inspired scenes, the plotting and pacing are awful; not just frequently cliche, but bizarre much of the time to the point that I thought the director and/or writer must be amateurs.  Most elements of the film dealing with Claire are dull, uneven or poorly executed, particularly those dealing with her single-mother status.  To end on a more positive note, the soundtrack was at least quite well selected - so at least you could tell they were trying for the right ideas in most scenes.

***

Overall, The Boss ranks as one of Melissa McCarthy's lesser starring vehicles.  It's certainly not as bad as the 19% it has on Rotten Tomatoes, though.  I would guess this score is driven primarily by the strange, often poor plotting and pacing, which are what most drag the film down for me, anyway.  McCarthy does not have a primary partner-in-crime in terms of humor; if Bell was supposed to serve this role, she failed miserably (at least there are other supporting actors who provide intermittent help here).  However, McCarthy is just so good, and there are enough genuinely funny moments and scenes - and this is a comedy after all, not a serious drama - that however bad some of the other elements might be, they aren't enough to sink the film.  If you're a McCarthy fan, you should check this out; and even if you're just looking for something funny, this is a perfectly fine choice for a Netflix night some time.




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