Film Review: Melissa McCarthy Really Proves She is ‘The Boss’

Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 9, 2016 - 8:39am

CHICAGO – If anything, “The Boss” is a bigger testimony to Melissa McCarthy’s status as a comic superpower than her breakthrough role in “Bridesmaids.” That one had a veritable treasure trove of comedic talent, while McCarthy has considerably less to work with here. She single handedly drags this movie kicking and screaming into the realms of watchability based on her comic charisma alone.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

McCarthy plays Michelle Darnell, the kind of self made mogul who gives bombastic get rich seminars and sells out the United Center in the process. Apart from one scene involving McCarthy in a dental brace that’s simultaneously interesting and horrifying, the first third of the film is pretty much all setup and a bit of a slog to get through.

She’s sent to prison for insider trading, and emerges broke, friendless, and homeless. She crashes on the couch of her long suffering assistant Claire (Kristen Bell) and plots her comeback. But it’s not until McCarthy accompanies Claire’s daughter to a Girl Scout-like troop meeting that the film really gets going. If the idea of McCarthy swearing in front of a bunch of middle schoolers and starting a full scale cookie war with a rival group of Girl Scouts tickles your funny bone, then you’ll be amused by what ensues.

”The Boss” opens everywhere on April 8th. Featuring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage, Ella Anderson, Tyler Labine, Kathy Bates, Cecily Strong, Ben Falcone and Kristen Schaal. Written by Ben Falcone, Steve Mallory and Melissa McCarthy. Directed by Ben Falcone. Rated “R”