With an all-star cast, this year’s hilarious comedy about offing your boss, Horrible Bosses arrives on Blu-ray triple play, DVD and digital download on Monday, 21st November.
Too many drinks and dubious advice from a hustling ex-con lead Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) to devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers... permanently. The only problem: even the best-laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them.
To celebrate the release of Horrible Bosses we look at other on-screen employees and bosses who use eccentric measures to get their own way. Check out our handy guide to see what you should and shouldn’t do to get a promotion in your own office.
Be warned, the following contains spoilers. (And our advice not entirely to be believed!)
- Fight Club
In this infamous film based on Chuck Palahniuk’s book, Edward Norton plays the narrator, an unnamed protagonist who is 'existing', not living.
That is, until he meets charismatic Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) who turns his life upside down and soon it is only through his fight club that he feels alive.
Norton excels as the troubled lead character, especially in when he is trying to get what he wants from his boss, which ends in a spectacular scene where he beats himself bloody to make it look like his boss did it, ending in having all his demands met - result!
Don’t - beat yourself - or your horrible boss - up
- 9 to 5
9 to 5 sees Dolly Parton, Lily Tomin and Jane Fonda all tormented by their boss, and soon decide they won’t put up with it any longer.
The ladies decide to kidnap their boss and blackmail him into changing his ways. While he is 'away' they make some major changes in the office, resulting in their horrible boss moving to Brazil and Lily Tomlin’s Violet becoming the new boss of the company!
Do – Kidnap your boss
- Love Actually
This film’s way to butter up the boss is quite risqué; secretary Mia (Heike Makatsch) uses her looks and charm to endlessly flirt with her boss Harry, played by Alan Rickman.
Harry eventually falls for her advances, even going so far as to buy her an expensive necklace for Christmas (see the below clip) when he only buys his loyal wife a CD.
Unfortunately for Harry though, his wife (Emma Thompson) had discovered the necklace before he gave it to Mia, and when she didn’t receive it at Christmas she confronts him... the jig is up!
Don’t - Fall for your secretary
- Office Space
Office Space documents unhappy employees at IniTech, and how they plan to get back at their terrible employer.
Just as Peter (Rob Livingstone) decides to stop even trying at work, he, out of nowhere, ends up being promoted!
From there he uses his high status to work with the other disgruntled employees to take the company down from the inside. He writes a virus to steal the company’s money and actually, it totally works!!
Do - hack your company’s computer system to embezzle money
The Proposal
In one of the more unique ways to butter up your boss, Ryan Reynold’s character Andrew is forced to marry his horrible boss (Sandra Bullock) so she doesn’t get deported back to Canada. (If he refuses, she’ll sack him.)
This means they take a 'family' trip to Alaska to try and make it look their newly-forced romance more legit.
Cue awkward moments and unwanted feelings which end in Andrew and Margaret actually falling for each other, with plenty of mishaps along the way!
Don’t - Forget to check your boss is a legal alien before going to work for them!
Horrible Bosses is out on DVD & Blu-Ray now.
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