Chris
Two women who have been friends since grade school, develop a make-up kit called One Night Stand, that catches the attention of a cosmetics mogul.
Mia (Tiffany Haddish) is the creative partner of their company and Mel (Rose Byrne) takes care of the finances. They open a small cosmetics store and even though the make-up is popular, they’re a half million dollars in debt.
Salma Hayek plays Claire Luna, a cosmetics tycoon, who offers to pay off the debt in exchange for 49% of their company. Her ploy is to incite a break-up between the women, so that she can walk in and take over the business.
The actresses work really hard for laughs, but they all fall flat. Plenty of sex talk and raunchy jokes, but none of it works. The one fairly good scene has Billy Porter, (one of the two employees at the store, Jennifer Coolidge plays the other) does a slow, dramatic walk out of a restaurant after being fired. Unfortunately, the rest of the film was just a waste of their talents and my time.
Frank
Like A Boss is what we once expected early in January film releases. The studios know the big film are out for Christmas and there are a few just reaching wide release that will be considered for awards. So they also release what ever they have remaining on the shelf especially films that have little reward for the audiences.
Like A Boss has a simple story two friends Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne own a small beauty company, it’s called Mel & Mia’s. They have different personalities but have been friends since eight grade. With a new product ready to hit the market they find the debt they have secured is ready to crush the company. Along comes Salma Hayek a pompous executive who offers to pick up the debt for a percent of the company. Her true purpose is the grab up the shaky corporation and put it under her umbrella.
It only takes 83 minutes to tell the story, that is the only saving grace of this embarrassing bad tase tired comedy.
The three women who star deserve better especially Hayek who is reduced to a red haired mega boss who needs to stand on a box to give a speech. She has far more skill than to be placed in this ugly part. Byrne and Haddish also follow in weak simple parts. Haddish appears to only be placed in the film to give vulgar phrases and curse words.
Early on we get a sense of the quality and dignity of the film when a cake is produced of a vagina giving birth. It goes down hill from there.
Where are the films which depict women as people with courage and determination and roles that we respect and are impressed with.
Look for something else to see this January.