Common Sense Media Review
By S. Jhoanna Robledo
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
McCarthy's hard-edged comedy squanders its potential.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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The Boss
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 10 parent reviews
Based on 14 kid reviews
Kids say this movie is a funny comedy featuring Melissa McCarthy, but it's filled with inappropriate content, including excessive profanity, sexual references, and drug use. While many find it entertaining, the overwhelming language and explicit scenes make it more suitable for older teens rather than younger audiences.
- funny comedy
- inappropriate content
- excessive profanity
- sexual references
- older teens
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In THE BOSS, Melissa McCarthy plays Michelle Darnell, a financial guru (and bestselling author and TV personality) who admits to insider trading and is thrown in jail for a few months. When her stint is up, Michelle discovers that she has very little left to her name besides the support of her former assistant, Claire (Kristen Bell), who offers Michelle a couch to crash on until she gets back on her feet and, later, a business idea that might just propel Michelle back to the top. But close friendships aren't Michelle's forte, and it doesn't help that she can't seem to shake her ex-boyfriend Renault (Peter Dinklage), a powerful business tycoon who's hungry for revenge.
Is It Any Good?
If it's possible to be disappointed in and delighted by a movie simultaneously, then The Boss delivers. It taps into McCarthy's patented sass but ultimately fails to deliver because a) it dilutes her comic powers with superficial storytelling and odd pacing and b) it peppers bracingly refreshing moments with tired, old jokes. First, the good: McCarthy is simply fun to watch, and she almost makes you forget that the plot's so thin because she's so effortless in her comedy. (She even manages to wrangle a genuine laugh from a silly sofa bed bit that, when later repeated, reveals how meh the joke actually is.) And she shares an easy chemistry with Bell, who also delivers on a half-baked role.
But here's the bad: The characters are underdeveloped and underwritten; a prison subplot that sounds promising goes nowhere (and is strangely unexplored, comedy-wise); and there are so many holes in the remaining storyline that you have to wonder what happened in the process of filming. Watch The Boss for McCarthy, who's boss. The rest, you can live without.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Boss' mature content. How does it depict drug use? Violence? Sex? Does it change the impact that all of these things are played for humor?
What message is the movie sending about success (both financial and personal)? Can the first only come at the expense of the second?
Talk about how movies like this one deploy hard-edged, even offensive humor. Who is this style of comedy designed to appeal to? How does having kids involved in the story affect the impact of the humor?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 8, 2016
- On DVD or streaming : July 26, 2016
- Cast : Melissa McCarthy , Kristen Bell , Peter Dinklage
- Director : Ben Falcone
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Universal Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Friendship
- Run time : 89 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual content, language and brief drug use
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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