>
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. Read critic reviews
What to know
You might also like
See More
Bad Moms
Office Christmas Party
Our Brand Is Crisis
The Giver
Tammy
Where to watch The Boss
Watch The Boss with a subscription on Peacock, rent on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, or buy on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu.
Rate And Review
-
What did you think of the movie? (optional)
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
What did you think of the movie? (optional)
How did you buy your ticket?
-
Fandango
-
AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
-
Cinemark Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Regal Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Theater box office or somewhere else
The Boss videos
The Boss: Official Clip - Jostling Each Other's Bosoms
The Boss: Official Clip - Plan B
The Boss: Official Clip - The Closest Thing to a Family
The Boss: Official Clip - Darlings vs. Dandelions
The Boss: Official Clip - Get It Together, Michelle
The Boss: Official Clip - A Literal Sword Fight
The Boss: Official Clip - Don't Make Out With the Sociopath
The Boss: Official Clip - The 47th Richest Woman in America
The Boss: Official Clip - Who's On My Baseball?
The Boss: Official Clip - Dandelion Meeting
The Boss: International Trailer 1
The Boss: Trailer 1
The Boss Photos
Movie Info
Wealthy CEO Michelle Darnell (Melissa McCarthy) always gets her way, until she's busted for insider trading and sent to federal prison. After leaving jail, Darnell finds herself broke, homeless and hated. Luckily, she tracks down former assistant Claire (Kristen Bell), the only person who's willing to help. While staying with Claire and her young daughter, the ex-con devises a new business model for a brownie empire. Unfortunately, some old enemies stand in the way of her return to the top.
-
Rating: R (Language|Brief Drug Use|Sexual Content)
-
Genre: Comedy
-
Original Language: English
-
Director: Ben Falcone
-
Producer: Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy
-
Writer: Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, Steve Mallory
-
Release Date (Theaters): wide
-
Release Date (Streaming):
-
Box Office (Gross USA): $63.0M
-
Runtime:
-
Distributor: Universal Pictures
-
Production Co: On the Day, Gary Sanchez Productions
-
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
-
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)
Cast & Crew
News & Interviews for The Boss
Critic Reviews for The Boss
Audience Reviews for The Boss
-
Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Bell team up for the hilarious goofball comedy The Boss. The story follows a self-made business woman who losses her financial empire after getting convicted for insider trading, but when she gets out of prison she attempt to get back on top by partnering with a former assistant to startup a new business. Both McCarthy and Bell are incredibly funny and have good comedic chemistry. Still, some of the material is pretty cliché and there are a lot of loose plot threads. Yet while The Boss is a fairly rote comedy, it's entertaining and delivers a lot of laughs.
-
You know, at least this is better than Tammy, Melissa McCarthy's previous movie that she co-wrote with her husband (who also directed). When I think back to Tammy, I think about how bad that movie actually was. And this is coming from someone who thinks that Melissa McCarthy is supremely talented and the hate that is directed her way is unfairly directed at her weight as opposed to her actual talents as a comedienne and whether she has great timing and delivery (she does). With that said, while The Boss is a definite improvement over Tammy, it's still not what I would call a good movie. Which is kind of a shame, because there's some legitimately really funny moments in this film. About 95% of them come from Peter Dinklage's character. And another thing, Peter Dinklage is so fucking great at everything he does. Like seriously. This guy has great comedic timing and delivery and I don't think it's a side that a lot of fans of his Game of Thrones work, which is tremendous, ever really get to see. He takes a character that, under anyone else, would've come across as lame and he makes it the most entertaining character in the entire film. It's just a shame that the movie isn't great to begin with, because if it was then more people would take notice of how talented Dinklage is at comedy as well as drama. And Melissa McCarthy is really good here as well, the movie is a vehicle for her after all, but I don't feel that it's a vehicle that makes as good use of her talents as is possible. And this was a movie, like I mentioned, co-written by her and her husband. I don't know what it says about a person that can't use their talents properly in a film they co-wrote, but it can't be very complimentary. Though I will admit that it's probable that the way this film came out wasn't the way it was intended to be like when it was first conceptualized. There's nothing about this movie that offers anything new or unique. Michelle went from foster home to foster home so, when she finally found success as a cutthroat businesswoman, she put off having a family because 'families are for suckers', as she says. Naturally, you know what comes as a result of that. Michelle becomes attached to her former assistant Claire, played by the always lovely Kristen Bell, and her daughter Rachel as they get up a rival Girls Scouts-type group that actually gives the girls a percentage of the brownies they sell and not some silly badge or something. You know where this is going. Michelle becomes attached and when she realizes it, she pushes them away and sells their business off to her biggest rival, Renault, Dinklage's character. It's all very predictable, but there's some entertaining moments on the way. Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Bell had some good chemistry, I just wish they would've had a better script supporting them. And, really, part of that is Melissa's fault, as she co-wrote the script. If I'm being honest, Paul Feig is the person who has best utilized Melissa's talents on-screen. From Bridesmaids to Spy, Feig has always been the best at getting top-notch work from Melissa and watching films like this makes it all the more obvious. Though, if I'm being completely honest, this is just an average movie at best. It's not nearly as bad as the reviews made it out to be, though I'm sure they all have very valid complaints. I still wouldn't go out of my way to watch this movie. If you have a free rental from Redbox or if it ever hits Netflix or Amazon Prime then, yea, give it a shot. Peter Dinklage is the best part of this movie, no doubt about it, but even his performance and Melissa's talents as a comedic actress can't help save this from being a middle-of-the-road affair.
jesse o Super Reviewer -
It's almost as if the weight of the entire film rested on lead McCarthy and despite her array of zingers and antics that make for some edgy laughs it becomes an exhausting endeavor even for her shoulders. When stripped of this, the Boss lies naked as another comedy with a forgettable story. There are parts of the premise that set up laughs that stand out (the Girl Scout brawl for one) but despite solid performances from even the supporting cast there are too many thrown-together storytelling elements that inhibit the film from breaking the mold of it's genre.
-
I've always liked Melissa McCarthy but never been in any rush to watch her movies as she only seems to be able to do one type of movie, This is no different yet again, The story has been done hundreds of times, The jokes are all recycled from other Comedy's but there was some funny bits thrown in but the predictable plot and ending felt all too familiar and won't last long in the viewers memory.
Verified