My Boss's Daughter
Cast
Ashton Kutcher .... Tom Stansfield
Tara Reid .... Lisa Taylor
Jeffrey Tambor .... Kent Moorhouse
Andy Richter .... Jack "Red" Taylor II
Michael Madsen .... TJ
Directed by
David Zucker
Rater #2 has description and review.
Rater #1
Has Not Seen Movie
Rater #2
5/10. Even though My Boss's Daughter was almost unanimously panned by
critics, I don't think I could keep away from a David Zucker movie,
one-third of the team that brought the genius of Airplane! and the
very funny Naked Gun. Plus, it was written by the writer of Anger
Management, David Dorfman, so it looked somewhat promising. It had
trademarks of both: what was great about both Airplane! and The Naked
Gun is that there were things happening in the background almost so
subliminal you're not sure if you're the only person seeing it, and
in Dorfman's Anger Management, there were penis jokes galore, and in
Daughter, there are as many as there were in the former.
Unfortunately for Zucker, Daughter is neither as funny as his two
classics or has as much of a plot (which is really scary, because
those two didn't even have one). Tom (Ashton Kutcher, who is about as
good of an actor as my left toenail), who is a little shy/passive,
has a crush on his boss's daughter (hence the stupid title) Lisa
(Tara Reid, see my comment about Kutcher). After a series of
misunderstandings (the name of the movie should be Awkward, Broad,
and Extremely Slapstick Generic Comedy #172), he ends up housesitting
for his boss Jack Taylor (Terence Stamp), and wacky things happen
including a drug-dealing brother (Andy Richter in an underwritten
role), an odd, recently fired secretary (Molly Shannon, who works
well), a killer (Michael Madsen), and an overweight, former lover of
Lisa (Kenan Thompson).
Although a lot of the humor was old and dated (Jack's owl is named
O.J., and everyone screams because Tom says "O.J.'s loose!", a man
offers Tom a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear), some of it was funny,
in the broadest sense possible. They weren't going for subtlety here.
In fact, most of the jokes were completely obvious. When Tom is
checking a woman for breast cancer (is it just me, or did she just
pop in there?), did anyone not expect Lisa to come in and think
something else? Also, some of the comedy is mean-spirited towards
gay, handicapped, and injured people, and most of that I didn't find
that funny. Iif you've paid to see Daughter, you've basically seen
Meet the Parents 2, with all of its madcap humor and situations, all
with various mass destruction.
One of my greatest fears is that Ashton Kutcher will do what Adam
Sandler did: entered the movie business doing slapstick comedies, and
then after his name is really well known, do a "serious" movie and
get accolades for it. The day Kutcher is heralded for his acting is
the day that I eat my shoe. Not only did he seem to be overacting
during the obligatory "emotional" parts, but during most of the
movie, he made it seem like Keanu Reeves had more than one emotion.
Reid does what she needs to do with her one-dimensional character of
the boss's daughter (which the movie isn't really about). Why a lot
of stars decided to have small, supporting roles, I don't know, but
most of them clicked in their part. Now if they had taken over the
movie instead of Kutcher being in charge, then maybe Daughter would
have worked.
Considering that My Boss's Daughter came in at #10 on the box office
on opening weekend, I'd have to say that most of the country is right
in avoiding this. However, if you're bored during a matinee time,
this wouldn't be a horrendous choice.
Rater #3
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rater #4
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rated PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor, drug content and language.
Running time: 85 minutes
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