Synopsis:
Best friends Mia and Mel (Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne) are living their best lives running their own cosmetics company they’ve built from the ground up. Unfortunately, they’re in over their heads financially, and the prospect of a big buyout offer from a notorious titan of the cosmetics industry Claire Luna (Salma Hayek) proves too tempting to pass up, putting Mel and Mia’s lifelong friendship in jeopardy. The beauty business is about to get ugly. LIKE A BOSS also stars Billy Porter, Jennifer Coolidge, Ari Graynor, Natasha Rothwell, Jessica St. Clair and Karan Soni.
I think its safe to say we could all use a laugh right about now with this bleak start to 2020, well look no further. Like A Boss is definitely one for ladies night but can be enjoyed by all, unless you’re one of those people that hates beautiful women that can also make you laugh. This isn’t your granny’s rags to riches best friend story. This is a raunchy, snort-laugh inducing, ride or die story that speaks to the trends of our current society. With makeup gurus and the hunger for entrepreneurship being at heights I’ve never seen, this movie was perfectly timed. Mixing business and friendship is difficult but who doesn’t want to be a boss with their homie. That’s what makes the story relatable and intriguing. Especially when huge amounts of money, employees that have become like family, and the friends don’t quite have the same vision. These ladies would make Gary Vee want to pull his hair out. Anyway, the storyline is predictable and straightforward but it’s not meant to be overly deep, it’s meant to be enjoyed. However, there are lessons that can be learned or reinforced by these ladies. Lessons about friendship, business, and perception arise on numerous occasions. I feel like some of life’s hardest lessons can be learned through comedy because it’s presented in a broader, more palatable way. All that said, the movie isn’t necessarily targeted towards a male audience and that’s perfectly okay, I still enjoyed myself. There are jokes and situations that are better understood from a female point of you; I will never laugh at a pregnancy joke as hard as a woman would. I laughed through a great amount of the movie but not all the jokes were gems. In fact, the majority of my laughter was during the first half of the picture before the jokes became stale and felt forced. While being aesthetically pleasing, Haddish’s performance is the only great thing that overwhelmingly stands out. Overall, it’s good, not great like applying foundation without a beauty blender… ladies will understand.
Plot & Pace
When two childhood best friends start a cosmetics company from the ground up things aren’t always as sweet as they seem. Despite having some online success, the business is in serious financial turmoil. Just as they realize the beginning of the end is near, a cosmetics industry giant takes notice. However, not all attention is quality attention, even when it’s wrapped in Chanel and throwing money at you; there’s always a catch. Being put through stress, tests, and change, the rock-solid friendship starts to crack. The question then becomes, can they resolve all their issues with their business as well as each other? The pacing of the movie is pretty damn perfect alternating off and on between funny and conflict.
Characters & Chemistry
While the duo of Tiffany Haddish (Mia) and Rose Byrne (Mel) works nicely, I felt Haddish was clearly the standout. Haddish was able to be her unapologetically hilarious self while maintaining the characteristics of Mia, loyal and humble. Byrne was the counterweight, more serious but still had some comedic moments. The two complimented each other nicely and had a great best friend vibe. Salma Hayek was a pleasant surprise, she seemed to tap into an exaggerated version of herself. She played up her accent and made jokes about herself. Her scenes with Haddish and Byrne usually triggered laughter. Sadly, most of Jennifer Coolidge’s jokes were poorly written and fell flat. Billy Porter and Natasha Rothwell’s performances were bright spots and resulted in some of the funniest scenes.
Like A Boss releases in theaters on January 1oth. Have fun at the movies.
Director: Miguel Arteta
Rated: R
Runtime: 1h 23m
Rating: 3 out of 5