As a child of the eighties, Who’s the Boss? was one of my favorite sitcoms, and whenever there is any reference made to “The Boss” I immediately picture Tony Danza playing the beloved character Tony Micelli. As someone who grew up in New Jersey, I’d be lying if I also didn’t admit that the term “The Boss” conjures images of Bruce Springsteen because, of course, Springsteen is revered in my home state. After seeing Melissa McCarthy’s new film The Boss, however, I forever more will also picture Michelle Darnell, played by the often hilarious Melissa McCarthy, while I vacillate between laughing and shaking my head.
McCarthy’s character Michelle Darnell is a self-made multimillionaire who seemingly has it all despite her difficult childhood, which she would like to pretend never happened. The business tycoon with the rhyming name knows exactly what she wants, and doesn’t let anyone stand in her way. She’s made her way to the top, but has yet to figure out how to appreciate the little people who make her daily life easier, especially her dedicated assistant Claire, played by Kristen Bell. Claire is a single mom who dutifully dedicates the majority of her day to Darnell, but barely garners any recognition from her boss.
When Darnell’s fortune changes, and she’s thrown into prison, the only person who even acknowledges her presence still is Claire. The former assistant to Darnell has moved on with her life, and has started a new job, but Darnell still views Claire as her employee even from behind bars.
Upon her release from prison, Darnell, who’s now penniless, needs Claire more than ever, but still hasn’t learned how to express or even feel gratitude. Even worse, Darnell has absolutely no concept of personal boundaries much to Claire’s chagrin. Claire’s daughter Rachel, played by the adorable eleven year old actress Ella Anderson, takes Darnell with her as she attends her Dandelions meeting, which is akin to the Girl Scouts. Darnell is suddenly inspired to create her own bastardized version of the Dandelions called Darnell’s Darlings, where they sell brownies instead of cookies. Darnell’s Darlings is an organization where girls are focused more on learning how to “win” like Darnell rather than becoming model citizens.
There are plenty of scenes in the movie that left the crowded theater laughing out loud. McCarthy’s facial expressions are spot-on, and there are several moments where physical comedy made viewers jump, gasp, and chuckle. McCarthy’s portrayal of Michelle Darnell as as a business tycoon was so convincing that I could not even see glimpses of her character Sookie St. James, who she played on the TV series Gilmore Girls. Sookie was the lovable, sweet, and giggly gal-pal while Darnell is a foul-mouthed, narcissistic mogul who will step on anyone to make her way back to the top.
The parts that left me shaking my head mainly concerned the foul language. As the wife of a sailor, I’m not easily offended by crass vocabulary, but as a mom, I found it a bit uncomfortable that so many curse words and vulgar expressions came from the mouths of babes. The girls in Darnell’s new troop are being groomed to be just like her, which means they begin to speak like her. There’s something that just doesn’t feel right about listening to a child scream, “Suck my d&*#.” While the shock value was indeed effective, it just felt a little too over the top. There’s also a full on street brawl involving women and young girls, which I had a hard time discerning whether it was funny or too inappropriate.
My friend Kelly, who loved McCarthy in the movies Bridesmaids and The Heat, attended the movie with me, and she agreed. She said, “There were some funny parts and some weird parts. Melissa McCarthy’s facial expressions make everything funny. The movie was okay if you like Melissa McCarthy, but I think people should wait for it to come out on video.”
Kelly and I discussed whether The Boss is perhaps the kind of movie that when you see it the first time you’re shocked, but then once you know what to expect, it’s hysterical the next time you watch it. Obviously it’s too soon to say yet whether it will be that kind of movie for us, but Kelly speculated, “No, I don’t think so. It’s Melissa McCarthy being Melissa McCarthy, which appeals to some people, but doesn’t appeal to others. It wasn’t my favorite movie that she’s done.” Should you go see it? That all depends upon your feelings about comedian Melissa McCarthy.
The movie had a great cast with numerous familiar faces, and featured some songs that we all know and love, but the plot at times felt a little too predictable and over the top. If you’re looking to laugh at some downright irreverent humor, this could be the movie for you.
* Please note that the official trailer for “The Boss” that is featured below does contain some profanity.
To see local showtimes at Village Theatre click here.
Genre: Comedy (with some action scenes too)
Director: Ben Falcone
Actors: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, Kathy Bates, Cecily Strong, Kristen Schaal, Annie Mumolo, Tyler Labine, Ella Anderson, Timothy Simons
Rating: R for sexual content, language and brief drug use
Running Time: 1 hour 39 minutes
