New review this week “Horrible Bosses” R — In this not-for-under-17s farce, three nice guys adopt desperate measures to rid themselves of nasty, abusive bosses. But the guys are too nice — and too clueless — to carry it off, hence the ensuing hilarity. and it is pretty hilarious. Nick (Jason Bateman) works at a financial firm run by a paranoid, egotistical bully (Kevin Spacey); Dale (Charlie Day) is an assistant to a randy, wildly inappropriate dentist (Jennifer Aniston) who sexually harasses him constantly; and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) works at a chemical firm where the beloved boss (Donald Sutherland) suddenly dies, leaving his cocaine-snorting, idiot son (Colin Farrell) in charge, and intent on polluting the environment. Nick, Dale and Kurt meet for drinks and dinner and they’re at wits’ end. What to do? The three less-than-geniuses settle on finding a hit man to whack their bosses. they go to a tough bar in a bad neighborhood and hire a tattooed ex-con (terrific Jamie Foxx) with a name we cannot print in a family newspaper. It turns out, quite hilariously, that neither the criminal nor the neophytes know what they’re doing. It’s the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. THE BOTTOM LINE: The dialogue and most of the humor in “Horrible Bosses” is highly profane, sexually and otherwise crude and explicit. Characters use lots of cocaine and drink. One confrontation ends with a point-blank gun murder, and another scene involves a non-lethal shooting. Though it certainly earns its R and isn’t for under-17s, the movie isn’t any nastier in tone than many a sitcom — just far more explicit in language and sexual humor. Also playing “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” PG — This movie has little in common, except the title, with the beloved 1938 book by Richard and Florence Atwater, but it is good fun on its own terms. Kids 7 and older will happily enter its world. The penguins are adorable (their more complex behaviors computer-enhanced), and star Jim Carrey gleefully reconnects with a slightly saner version of his “Ace Ventura” character. A divorced workaholic real estate flipper, Popper is a disappointing dad to his sulky teenage daughter (Madeline Carroll) and younger son (Maxwell Perry Cotton) when they visit on weekends. We see in a prologue that his own oft-absent dad was an explorer. Popper hears his now long-estranged father has died and bequeathed him “something.” A crate arrives and in it is a Gentoo penguin that promptly poops on Popper. Another crate arrives with five more. Popper falls for the birds, turning his penthouse into an icy penguin pad. But his work suffers, and a sly zoo official (Clark Gregg) plots to possess the penguins. THE BOTTOM LINE: Expect many poop gags, most of which are actually funny. Popper makes a verbal Viagra joke, but most younger kids won’t get it. The film includes other mild sexual innuendo. Popper bribes his doorman to keep mum about the birds. A character says, “who gives a rat’s butt?” The theme about Popper’s absent dad resonates sadness. “Monte Carlo” PG — The clothes, shoes and bags are to die for, but what tween girls 8 and older will delight in here is the friendship, the outfits, the fancy people and the handsome young men in this travel-can-be-broadening tale. One could wish “Monte Carlo” were more sophisticated and genuine, but it’s a pleasant trifle. Perky Selena Gomez of TV’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” plays Grace, a new high-school grad from Texas who has been waiting tables to save for a trip to Paris. her mom (Andie MacDowell) and soon-to-be stepdad (Brett Cullen) insist that along with her flighty fellow waitress Emma (Katie Cassidy), she travel with Meg (Leighton Meester of “Gossip Girl“), who’s older and will soon be her half sister. But Meg still grieves for her late mother and Grace and Emma think she’s no fun. The unlikely trio lands in Paris. Missing their cheapo tour bus at the Eiffel Tower, they run through the rain and into a posh hotel. while Grace uses the toilet, Emma and Meg meet a snarky British celebutante named Cordelia (also Gomez), who is the dead spit of Grace. Cordelia runs off to avoid a charity event in Monte Carlo and the girls take a chance: Grace impersonates Cordelia and the three head to Monte Carlo for the event. Despite all the plot, it’s basically just Gomez, Meester and Cassidy bonding and meeting cute, gentlemanly guys, plus Emma’s discovery that her Texas boyfriend (Cory Monteith of “Glee”) is as good as any French prince. THE BOTTOM LINE: The girls seem to sip only lemonade and club soda at their various events in Monte Carlo, though it’s possible you’ll glimpse older people having champagne. The dialogue is sanitized. The only hint of sexual heat and an unmarried tryst is between Meg and the nice Australian guy she meets (Luke Bracey). “Transformers: dark of the Moon” PG-13 — The endless 3-D, computer-generated battles that weigh down the last third of this two-and-a-half-hour movie may be the thing that thrills teen audiences — and the film is fine for them. But what makes “Transformers: dark of the Moon” fun for history-loving teens and adults is its clever opening premise, its strong supporting cast, and its droll script — until words fail and the boring battles rage. We learn that the astronauts who landed on the moon back in 1969 had a top-secret mission to check out a crashed, seemingly dead Transformer spacecraft from Cybertron, planetary home to the robotic alien races. cut to the present, and a battle is brewing between the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons to reanimate the ship and unleash its secrets. The Decepticons, who have moles among humans and even among the Autobots, plan to enslave Earth. Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), secret human pal of Autobot hero Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen), tries to warn the CIA director (Frances McDormand) to no avail. The unemployed Sam has a new, vapid, eye-candy girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), whose boss (Patrick Dempsey) is too sly not to be a villain. as the Decepticons and Autobots go to war, Sam and his Autobot connections are again useful to the Feds. THE BOTTOM LINE: Sam’s girlfriend Carly wears exceedingly snug clothes, looking more like a call girl than an executive assistant. The PG-13 rating mostly reflects the film’s violence, which involves 3-D special effects battles between Transformers and human weaponry. few if any bloody wounds are depicted. The script uses midrange profanity, semi-crude sexual innuendo, and rare use of the F-word. Articles Most Read Today
And a very merry “Transformers” weekend to you too! Celebrate America’s birthday by indulging in the fireworks fest that is Michael Bay‘s third “Transformers” epic, wherein modern American history gets rewritten, Shia LaBoeuf gets a new PYT whose reputation he can disparage in two years, and the city of Chicago gets its turn as the ‘burb that gets destroyed in the most spectacular way possible! If wanton destruction isn’t your thing, take your grandparents to go see Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in “Larry Crowne.” or your little sister to go see “Monte Carlo.” or get outside, bare some arms, eat some grilled meat and drink some domestic beers. It’s only appropriate. also Happy Canada Day to our Canadian brethren. I’m not sure how they celebrate that, but I sincerely hope it’s with fire and meat, like how we do. and to our friends in the U.K., do you have a holiday this weekend? If not, I suggest having an ironic 4th of July party—cut the sleeves off a t-shirt and the legs off some jeans, put on some aviators, drink something out of a can and light something on fire. There you go! Yay! 
