USA Today 's Scott Bowles awarded the film three out of four stars , labeling it a " surprising comedy that rivals Bridesmaids as the funniest film of the summer , if not the year . " Bowles added that " the characters are so likable " , giving particular credit to Sudeikis though also adding praise for the performances of Bateman and Day . The dialogue was also lauded by Bowles , which commented that " Seth Gordon has a deft touch with water @-@ cooler talk — even when the water cooler might be spiked with poison . " Leonard Maltin of indieWire considered Day to have had the " breakout role " and offered praise to the performances of the cast , but lamented the lack of screen time for Farrell 's character . Maltin concluded " the movie has just enough raunchiness to identify it as a 2011 comedy , just enough cleverness to admire , and just the right camaraderie among its three male stars , which turns out to be the movie ’ s greatest strength . " Rolling Stone 's Peter Travers gave kudos to the " killer cast " , with specific credit given to Bateman and Day , but was critical of the movie , stating " it wussies out on a sharp premise " and that it is a " hit @-@ and @-@ miss farce that leaves you wishing it was funnier than it is " The Guardian 's Philip French called Horrible Bosses " a lumbering , misogynistic affair " , but admitted " I laughed frequently , probably to the detriment of my self @-@ respect . " Nicholas Barber of The Independent gave a positive review , complimenting Gordon for not allowing the actors ' improvisation to be detrimental to the pacing , but felt the movie was not as " dark " as its premise required , saying " what edginess the film does have comes instead from the inordinate quantity of swearing , plus a smattering of homophobia and misogyny . "