Melissa McCarthy has been hilarious in the Paul Feig directed films Spy and Bridesmaids. And her character in The Boss shows the same aptitude for physical comedy, profanity and forwardness. Only this time, it's not so funny.
More like the ho-hum Identity Thief, McCarthy's latest is a clumsy comedy based on sketches rather than a cohesive idea. McCarthy plays tycoon turned white-collar criminal Michelle Darnell, a character she developed years ago in Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings.
The ramshackle plot sees America's "47th richest woman" jailed for insider trading, released and seeking redemption by setting up a girl's Brownie group called Darnell's Darlings. Her partners in this new venture are long-suffering personal assistant Claire (Bell) and Claire's tween daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson), who take in the insufferable Darnell.
Darnell's Darlings raise money by making Claire's family chocolate brownie recipe. As nice as this sounds there's no baking badge involved - this is a lesson in cutthroat capitalism.
