Melissa McCarthy Shines in Disappointing THE BOSS (Review)

Melissa McCarthy is one of my favorite comedy actors working today. Her brand of humor works for me. McCarthy has made a movie career out of lady-centric physical comedy, creative insults, and the importance of women bonding with other women. Her comedies usually aim to explore experiences that are often invisible in most mainstream media. Undoubtedly her best film is Spy, which took great care in exposing the severe underestimation of women over 40. McCarthy is a major "face on the poster" movie star, and she uses her clout to tell the stories she wants to tell.

Her latest film is The Boss, directed by her husband Ben Falcone. McCarthy and Falcone wrote the screenplay together along with Steve Mallory. Falcone and McCarthy previously made Tammy, which grossed $100 million even with bad reviews. Similarly, The Boss is getting trashed by the critics. However, I decided to check it out since I like Melissa McCarthy and most of the cast members. The Boss co-stars Kristen Bell (Frozen), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Ella Anderson, Tyler Labine (Monsters University), Timothy Simons (Veep), and Kathy Bates.

Michelle Darnell (McCarthy) is the 47th wealthiest woman in America, as CEO of 3 Fortune 500 companies. Arrested for insider trading, Michelle comes back from jail having lost everything. She ends up at her old assistant Claire's (Bell) apartment. When Michelle takes Claire's daughter Rachel (Anderson) to a Dandelion/not Girl Scouts meeting, Michelle decides to start her own group to sell brownies--and get back to the top. Her business rival and former flame Renault (Dinklage) continues to keep an eye on what she's up to. 

The major issue of The Boss is that it feels like a comedy sketch stretched to 100 minutes. The movie has a few disparate plots going on, featuring scenes that serve no purpose except for jokes. Kathy Bates offers a cameo as Michelle's mentor, but she has no bearing on the plot. Similarly, the film sets Michelle up with a meanie mom played by Annie Mumolo, but it's random and again has no effect on the general story. After Michelle gets arrested, Claire gets a new job doing sales or something, featuring a weird boss played by SNL's Cecily strong. The character is weird for the sake of weird, and not even enjoyably so.

The Boss has pieces of a good movie, but the pieces do not fit together. Instead of choosing one or two narrative threads to pursue, Falcone, McCarthy, and Mallory chose all of them. The film could be an indictment of the lessons girls are taught that hinder their progress. And that's an interesting point for the movie to make. If the film had been a "Troop Beverly Hills meets Bad Teacher" romp, then that would be one thing. Instead, the movie tacks on various subplots--the business rival, the meanie mom--without committing to anything. I don't want to forget that this is actually a story about Michelle learning to trust and accept people as family, because she bounced around foster homes as a kid. Yawn to that nonsense.

Director Ben Falcone really has no idea how to assemble the script into a coherent visual story. The movie has virtually no style. The camerawork is arbitrary, and the film features establishing shots like it's a 1990s sitcom. The trailers had a major in-the-streets brawl between the girls and their moms, and I was hoping for an Anchorman-like comedy fight scene. But the brawl itself is too mean-spirited and not funny enough to work. On paper, having a bunch of young girls and their moms fighting is funny, but Falcone completely mishandled the execution. And that's how most of the comedy set pieces go in The Boss (like the bizarre scene where Michelle eats sashimi that paralyzes her mouth).

Thankfully, Ben Falcone married Melissa McCarthy, who is such a luminous comedic actor she lights up the screen. McCarthy is game for anything, and her conviction and commitment to the silliness is hilarious, sure, but also really endearing. McCarthy has such a sweet, lovely face that her physical comedy gags land like gangbusters. I liked the part where she talks with a mouth guard on, Her delivery of insults and monologues displays brilliant comic timing. Michelle is not one of her best characters--it's hard to beat her work in Spy or her Oscar nominated role in Bridesmaids. However, if there is one reason to see The Boss, it's the boss herself.

Kristen Bell shares good chemistry with McCarthy--their boob fight is a major highlight--and she can join the growing list of amazing McCarthy co-stars: Kristen Wiig, Sandra Bullock, Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart. There needs to be a crossover with all these actresses, like MCU: McCarthy Cinematic Universe. I appreciate that McCarthy's comedies are almost always lady-centric. The rest of the cast around them is pretty good as well, even if they don't have much to do. Some funny moments here and there, but nothing to highlight on their resumes.

The Boss is a funny, but unremarkable, entry into Melissa McCarthy's career. The woman is brilliant, and Kristen Bells offers great support, but the direction and script can't match her. I know there is a good movie under here, but it gets lost under all the subplots. Ben Faleone is not a good comedy director, unfortunately and The Boss ends being a lesser version of its potential.

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