Parents' Guide to

The Boss

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

McCarthy's hard-edged comedy squanders its potential.

Movie R 2016 89 minutes
The Boss Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 13 parent reviews

age 13+

Good film- not sure why some parents are being so fussy!

Took my 13 year old daughter with me. It was a good film, yes, there's scenes with alcohol, and bad language but lets be honest here- most teens pick these works/acts up in school anyways! Just because a movie said 'suck my dick' does not mean your teen will go around saying it. As with Alcohol/drugs, teens get taught about all these issues at school, plus it's your responcability as a parent to tell your kids about these things. (eg: having a glass or two of wine or something at a party is ok, but not everyday as it can cause addiction!'

This title has:

Great messages
age 18+

Very Raunchy

This movie is very raunchy and has a lot of cussing. Melissa is funny but she uses bad language like every 10 seconds. Kristin Bell was good and I think she was more funnier than Melissa (she kept saying “LANGUAGE” to her daughter in the movie every time she cussed which I thought was hilarious). I liked the part where Melissa makes her own scout group and they fight the other girls. Recommend this movie to older kids who can understand bad language and what they’re seeing.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13):
Kids say (14):

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.

Movie Details

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