The comedic pairing ofJason BatemanandJennifer Anistonhas always led to hilarious moments, even if some of their collaborations were better than others. As two sitcom stars, Bateman will be known to viewers for his leading role inArrested Development, while Anitson became a household name as Rachel Green onFriends. However, both have also carved out impressive movie careers and collaborated on five feature films over the past nearly two decades.
Likethe best comedy duos, Bateman and Aniston have an innate chemistry that means they play off one another well and complement each other perfectly. Bateman’s deadpan and often reserved comedic style helped balance Aniston’s more energetic and lively comedic demeanor, leading to several fantastic comedy movies. While their fruitful collaboration has led to a lackluster sequel and a holiday comedy that left viewers wanting,Bateman and Aniston’s best movies together were truly comedy gold.
Horrible Bosses 2
Cast
Horrible Bosses 2: In this sequel, Dale, Kurt, and Nick venture into entrepreneurship, facing unexpected challenges when a cunning investor thwarts their plans. The trio resorts to an ill-advised kidnapping scheme in an attempt to regain control of their business venture. Released in 2014, the film stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis.
Unfortunately for Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston, the concept ofHorrible Bossesonly lent itself to one great movie, and to try and continue it resulted in diminishing returns. While the comedic trio of Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis’s plot against their overbearing and abusive bosses had plenty of great chemistry, it was a fool’s errand to try and reunite the cast and recapture the magic of its past glory. With Aniston returning as the nymphomaniac dentist infatuated with Day’s character, Dr. Julia Harris,Horrible Bosses 2boasted an all-star cast but also suffered from a disappointing and forgettable script.
In the second installment, Bateman’s character Nick Hendricks encountered Julia while undercover at a sex addict’s group therapy session as her character continued her streak of sexually manipulative and often criminal behavior. While this was funny in the first film, it’s clear that Julia was a one-note character inHorrible Bosses 2,and excluding some laugh-out-loud moments, this sequel fell flat. Both Bateman and Aniston did their best with the material they were given, but it was not strong enough to live up to the rest of their work together.
WhileHorrible Bosses 2was not a terrible movie, it mostly felt like a waste of an incredibly talented cast that failed to live up to its astounding potential. With plenty of callbacks to the first film,Horrible Bosses 2had already overstayed its welcome before its runtime was halfway through. Although it did not flop at the box office, taking in a decent $107 million against its $40 million budget (viaBox Office Mojo), this was significantly less than its predecessor and did not fair well fora potentialHorrible Bosses 3.
Office Christmas Party
Directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, Office Christmas Party is a Comedy and Holiday film released in 2016. The film stars Jason Bateman as a recently divorced chief technology officer that attempts to secure a contract for a client to keep his company from suffering heavy layoffs.
The most recent pairing of Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston was the holiday movieOffice Christmas Party, a raunchy comedy that brought together some of the funniest comedians working today. With Aniston as the uptight CEO Carol Vanstone threatening to close down her Chicago branch, Bateman played a recently divorced office worker who helped throw a massive Christmas party to try and land a major client and save the branch. This classic dynamic of wayward employees pushing back against their fussy boss meant thatOffice Christmas Partywas far from original, but it still kept the jokes coming consistently.
The main issue withOffice Christmas Partywas its overloaded plotand clichéd nature. Its bloated cast didn’t get enough time to shine, and its characterization felt rushed. Bateman did a good job playing the straight man, who was the same type of witty, reserved character he’s portrayed countless times in comedy movies andArrested Development. Aniston’s role as the antagonistic boss set on ruining everybody’s fun was more difficult to pull off, yet she still had several chances to shine throughout.
Sadly,Office Christmas Partycan’t stack up against the verybest Christmas movies, and although it’ll provide enough laughs to see audiences happy over the holidays, it’s quickly forgotten once the credits have rolled. Other performers like T.J. Miller, Kate McKinnon, and Jillian Bell helped elevate some scenes, but it was not enough to raise theOffice Christmas Partyout of mediocrity. As light entertainment, this works well, but don’t expect anything deeper than that.
3The Break-Up (2006)
Jason Bateman as Mark Riggleman & Jennifer Aniston as Brooke Meyers
Jennifer Aniston took the lead in her first collaboration with Jason Bateman, who was merely a supporting character in this run-of-the-mill romance. With Aniston as Brooke Meyes, the story ofThe Break-Upinvolved her character splitting up with Vince Vaughn’s Gary Grabowski as their arguments escalated, and Brooke felt unappreciated, while Gary felt she was too controlling. Caught in the middle of all this was Bateman as Mark Riggleman, a realtor and friend of the couple who attempted to mediate them selling the condo they owned together.
The Break-Uphighlighted the struggles of modern relationships and the difficulties of bad communication and mismatched expectations. Brooke’s desire for a partner who actually wants to help around the house was juxtaposed with Gary’s need for independence and the freedom to unwind after a hard day at work. These universal relationship issues provided plenty of laughs inThe Break-Up,although that was not enough to save this release from being indistinguishable from any other rom-com dealing with a couple in the final stages of a doomed relationship.
Bateman provided enjoyable comic relief as his character was unwittingly exposed to the fractured romance of Aniston and Vaughn, although he did not have a lot of time to shine amid the main couple’s crumbling love affair. However, some aspects ofThe Break-Upattempted to break outside of conventional rom-coms, as it balanced raunchy comedy with typical chick-flick style humor.The Break-Upwas a glimpse into the ugly side of dating, and countless viewers will surely relate to the complexities of what happens when a couple’s life together has to be painfully torn apart.
The Switch
The Switch is a romantic comedy directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, starring Jennifer Aniston as Kassie, a single woman who decides to have a baby through artificial insemination, and Jason Bateman as Wally, her best friend who secretly substitutes the donor sample with his own. As years pass, Wally must navigate the evolving dynamics of their relationship and the consequences of his actions.
The Switchwas a rom-com dealing with a mix-up of epic proportions as Jason Bateman drunkenly switched sperm donations for his best friend’s (Jennifer Aniston) child. While the storyline ofThe Switchinitiallylooked quite formulaic from the outside, it was actually a surprisingly well-acted and sentimental movie that came together incredibly well. While at the outset it appeared similar to countless forgettable rom-coms,The Switchslowly won viewers over with its strong performances and oddly affecting emotional heft.
As Wally Mars wallowed for years in his unrequited love for Kassie Larson, he felt cast into the dreaded friend zone despite being perfect for one another. With Kassie ready to have a child and in need of a donor, she dismissed Wally as too neurotic and instead chose a handsome, charming assistant professor (Patrick Wilson.) However, at Kassie’s “insemination party,” Wally caught sight of the sperm donation in the bathroom and, after accidentally spilling it, replaced it with his own in a panic.
Fast forward several years and Kassie’s son has already turned seven, leading to Wally’s desire to reconnect with the woman he loved and become a father in this strangely sentimental and unconventional rom-com.The Switchwas filled with interesting character dynamics, and although many aspects of it were well-worn themes in the rom-com genre, they came together here to create something new. With committed performances from Bateman and Aniston as well as an excellent turn from the child actor Thomas Robinson,The Switchwas a surprising comedy that’s more than the sum of its parts.
Horrible Bosses
Friends Nick, Dale, and Kurt all work for despicable bosses: Nick’s boss is a sadistic man on a power trip, Dale’s boss sexually harasses him, and Kurt’s boss is an arrogant, indifferent cocaine addict. When Kurt jokes that their lives would be better without their bosses in them, the three decide to team up and kill each other’s tormentors.
Horrible Bosseswas truly one of thebest comedies of the 2000s, and its unique brand of humor and talented cast kept things fresh and exciting. With an enjoyable premise around three best friends planning to kill their respective bosses, Bateman played the financial executive Nick Hendricks, who was scorned over the manipulative way his boss (Kevin Spacey) held a potential promotion over his head. Jennifer Aniston portrayed the sexually aggressive dentist, Dr. Julia Harris, who would not stop pursuing her happily engaged assistant, played by Charlie Day.
As the group of friends conspired to murder their overbearing and abusive employers,Horrible Bossescataloged their wayward misadventure to eliminate the people who stood in the way of their happiness. This clever concept was ripe for hilarity, andHorrible Bossessucceeded due to its impressive ensemble cast and a high-quality scriptfilled with rapid-fire jokes. Aniston excelled in a sexually charged and morally dubious role, which stood as one of her best post-Friendsperformances.
While the concept ofHorrible Bosseswasn’t quite strong enough to sustain a franchise, as seen from its lackluster sequel, as a standalone film, it was a truly compelling and well-executed comedy. As yet another testament to the skills ofBateman and Aniston,Horrible Bossesshowcased that with the right script, both of these actors were capable of extremely strong comedic performances. With plenty of laughs, a strong concept, and a wide array of Hollywood talent,Horrible Bosseswas essential viewing for any comedy lovers.
