The Boss (2016 film)
The Boss is a 2016 American comedy film directed by Ben Falcone and written by Falcone, Melissa McCarthy and Steve Mallory. The film stars McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Ella Anderson, Tyler Labine, Kathy Bates, Annie Mumolo, Timothy Simons, and Peter Dinklage.
The Boss
- Melissa McCarthy
- Ben Falcone
- Steve Mallory
- Melissa McCarthy
- Ben Falcone
- Will Ferrell
- Adam McKay
- Chris Henchy
- Melissa McCarthy
- Kristen Bell
- Kathy Bates
- Tyler Labine
- Peter Dinklage
- March 21, 2016 (Sydney)
- April 8, 2016 (United States)
99 minutes[1]
United States
English
$29 million[2]
$78.8 million[3]
The film follows a wealthy woman who, after being arrested and losing her fortune, uses her assistant's daughter's Dandelion Girls cookie sales to return to the top.
The Boss had its premiere in Sydney on March 21, 2016, and was theatrically released in the United States on April 8 by Universal Pictures. Although it received generally negative reviews from critics, it grossed over $78 million worldwide on a budget of $29 million.
Plot[edit]
In 1975 in Chicago, a young Michelle Darnell returns to the orphanage she was adopted from. She bounces between the orphanage and other homes within 5–10 years later until her sadness turns into rage and realises that she will succeed on her own.
In the present, Michelle is the CEO of three Fortune 500 companies, guru and best-selling author of self-help books and is the 47th wealthiest woman in the US. After a successful event at the United Center, Michelle and her nemesis/lover Renault (originally named Ronald) face off about a recent stock deal Michelle made in which she had acquired the stock due to insider trading and is turned into the SEC by Renault as revenge. Following a disastrous interview with Gayle King, Michelle is arrested for insider trading and sent to prison for five months, while her companies are taken over by Renault and all her assets are seized and frozen by the government. When released, Michelle finds her home foreclosed and seeks out Claire, her former assistant, and her daughter Rachel with whom she stays until she gets back on her feet.
After Michelle fails to get back on her feet with colleagues she insults, she is soon inspired by Rachel's Dandelions scout cookies and the profit the organisation makes a year. Furthermore, Michelle decides to start her own company named Darnell's Darlings by selling Claire's homemade brownies and brings in Claire as a partner. Recruiting girls from the Dandelions and other students, the girls are successful in selling brownies, even causing trouble with the Dandelions which leads to a street fight between the two. Michelle, Rachel and Claire soon grow closer together; especially with Michelle inspiring Claire to quit her job and go on a date with Mike, a coworker, while growing close to Rachel as the company grows.
Michelle, having brought in her former mentor Ida Marquette as an investor in the company, is spooked at a celebratory dinner when she receives a handmade gift from Rachel who declares the three as a family due to her own personal background of abandonment. Michelle, overwhelmed, soon begins to become absent in Rachel and Claire's lives especially when she begins making big business decisions without Claire's involvement and the two clash heads after Michelle mistakenly believes that Claire has sold out the company to Renault. In return, Michelle sells the company to Renault. Michelle soon returns to Rachel and Claire, feeling regretful and apologises, explaining her childhood where she was abandoned frequently. Michelle decides to help Claire get her company back by stealing the contract from Renault's office. Mike, now Claire's boyfriend, decides to assist.
While Mike distracts the doormen, the two women successfully steal the contract but are intercepted by Renault who fights with Michelle, leading to the rooftop where Michelle is seemingly pushed off the roof to her death (however fell to the level below). Claire also shoves Renault. Michelle and Renault, having had a background of being romantically involved, make peace with one another.
A year later, the business achieves great success and Claire and Rachel use the money to purchase a new family home.
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
The Boss received generally negative reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 22%, based on 197 reviews, with an average of 4.40/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Melissa McCarthy remains as fiercely talented as ever, but her efforts aren't enough to prop up the baggy mess of inconsistent gags and tissue-thin writing that brings down The Boss."[14] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 40 out of 100, based on reviews from 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[15] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.[13]
Manohla Dargis of The New York Times writes: "The movie is funny without being much good; mostly, it’s another rung on Ms. McCarthy’s big ladder up."[16]
Justin Chang of Variety magazine calls the film a "sloppy, haphazard comic vehicle" although he does praise McCarthy for doing the most possible to extract laughs from the material.[17]