LIKE A BOSS

US, 2020, 83 minutes, Colour.
Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Coolidge, Billy Porter, Ari Graynor, Ryan Hansen, Karan Soni, Jimmy O.Yang..
Directed by Miguel Arteta.

For more than a decade, raucous and raunchy American comedies have been very popular. Audiences seem to identify with the characters, enjoy the situations, the touch of the outrageous, elements of vulgarity, elements of explicit sexuality, even more elements of innuendo. And, Rose Byrne has been in quite a number of them, Bridesmaids, Neighbours, Neighbours 2… And then, in recent times, Tiffany Hadddish has specialised in them making quite a splash in the raucously popular and unrestrained, Girls Night.

This brief film is rather more low-key than usual, although Tiffany Haddish does her best to keep the action rolling and Rose Byrne has to act as a desperate character for so much of the time.

This is very much a women’s film. There are only four male characters throughout, a boyfriend, and yes-man to his dominating boss, and two men who are inventors of cosmetics. They are in no way essential to the plot!

So, we focus on two friends from their high school days, Mel (Rose Byrne) and Mia (Tiffany Haddish). They have built up a small company, developing cosmetics, manage a boutique store where Jennifer Coolidge and Billy Porter work, adding a touch of comedy.

The main drama of this comedy is the ambition to take over the company by a most obnoxious boss, played with full flair by Salma Hayek. She has a cosmetics empire, has her eye on some of the women’s products, is unscrupulous in her manipulation, working on the principle of divide and conquer – which she does. However, the audience is on side when the two friends tell each of the truth about themselves, reconcile, get their employees to do some cosmetic inventing, take over a presentation and win over everybody as they upstage their boss, their boss no longer.

All very slight, very short, a surprise from director Miguel Arteta who has made some more substantial films in the past like The Good Girl with Jennifer Aniston.

1. The title? Companies? Authority? Bosses and their behaviour?

2. Broad comedy, the touch of the raucous, the touch of the raunchy?

3. The settings, apartments, shops, business offices, gala presentations? The world of cosmetics and advertising?

4. The cast? Their backgrounds in comedy? Broad style?

5. The film? Women, friendships, interactions, rivalries? The four men in the background?

6. Mel and Mia, as characters, their friendship, from the past, working together, African-American? and white, living close by, the strong bonding? Their enterprise? Working together, the company, the cosmetic inventions? The shop? Sydney and Barrett, their work, friendship?

7. Claire Luna, the businesswoman, dominating, sacking her lifelong friend (and this coming back to defeat her at the end? Her yes-man and his continued interventions? Coming to the shop, the invitation for Mel and Mia to arrive, the haughty receptionist, the eventual meetings, the discussions, Claire dominating the discussions, Mel and her ambitions, wanting to please Claire? Mia and her instant dislike, resistance?

8. The discussions between the two friends, who was persuading whom? Their falling out, the building up to a reconciliation, admitting their mutual faults? Sydney and her interventions? Barrett and his being sacked by Claire, his coming to the rescue?

9. Claire, wanting the company, financial deals? Her relying on the two men and their inventiveness? The presentation and its failure? The men winning the contract?

10. The final presentation, drawing on the women and their friendship, their scenes together and support? The visuals? Barrett and his dominating? Trapping Claire, her having
to affirm them?

11. Success of the final presentation, everybody on side, defeating Claire? One year later and success?