In comedy, chemistry matters as much as the script. The dark comedy, “Horrible Bosses” has a the kind of thin, broad premise that wouldn’t work without the right group of actors.

Luckily, comedy team-ups don’t get much better than Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day.

“Bosses” focuses on three horrific boss-employee relationships. Nick (Bateman) works a corporate job under the ruthlessly evil Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey). Accountant Kurt (Sudeikis) is terrorized by a drug-addicted freak (Colin Farrell in hilarious makeup) who has just inherited his dad’s chemical company. And dental assistant Dale (Day) is a newly-engaged nice guy getting sexually harassed (and worse) by Dr. Jennifer Aniston, D.D.S.

The bosses are perfectly cast, with Spacey in his “Swimming with Sharks” scary mode, Aniston playing against type and Farrell just having a ball playing the biggest tool on the planet. They’re horrible enough that you understand why these poor guys fantasize about killing them.
Hilarity escalates when the guys begin to hatch a foolish plan to actually kill each other’s bosses. They hop on Craig’s List searching in the “Men seeking men” section, and they scour seedy taverns inquiring about professional murder consultants.

Nick, Kurt and Dale aren’t dumb people. They are just clueless about murder, which would be the case with anyone half-serious about it. Their escalating series of missteps are actually believable, which makes the movie all the more funny.

Bateman has been in several movies since his career revival on “Arrested Development,” and he’s mostly been tasked with repeating the same sardonic performance from that show. It has only occasionally worked on the big screen because he doesn’t have the proper group of idiots and maniacs surrounding him. Here he’s in the mode, thanks to Sudeikis’ non-sequitur one-liners and Day’s energetic display of stupidity.

Day, the standout performer on the F/X series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” will satisfy fans of that show and win over a whole new legion of fans with “Bosses,” notably in an extended sequence of accidental cocaine intake.

“Horrible Bosses” is crude and occasionally dark, but the cast keeps the movie from veering out of control, especially when things get violent. The plot is ridiculous, but nowhere near the absurdity of “The Hangover Part II.” Even better, “Horrible Bosses” is actually funny.
Grade: B+