Here is the legacy of Horrible Bosses 2, the inscription on its gravestone, its one-sentence summary in some future compendium of unasked-for sequels: “The movie where Jennifer Aniston tells someone to poop on her.” There’s not much more to say, really. The first installment of the Horrible Bosses franchise, which featured Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, and Jason Bateman as bumbling, put-upon everymen who set out to murder their bosses, was funnier than everyone expected it to be. (Cats married dogs, birds flew upside down, women wore pants.) The sequel—same cast, different director and writers—restores balance to the universe by being exactly as bad as it looks. Horrible Bosses was about three likable dudes besieged at every turn by threats to their privilege, allowing the audience the unique satisfaction of rooting simultaneously for and against them. (Look, just let me have my labored feminist rationale for liking Horrible Bosses, okay?) Horrible Bosses 2 is about the same dudes, still likable, who… want to…. start a business making novelty showerheads? (Insert gay joke here.) So they try to cut a deal with Business Man Christoph Waltz to distribute their Made in America showerheads. (Insert racist joke here.) But he betrays them, because he is a cutthroat Business Man, and also German. (Insert gay joke.) So instead our buffoonish protags hatch a plan to kidnap Christoph Waltz’s slimy son, Chris Pine (insert cute girl in a tight shirt walking by), and demand a ransom from his dad? (Insert another girl in a tight shirt walking by.) The plan backfires and high jinks ensue, as well as a truly surprising number of conversations about testicles. Given that we have the first Horrible Bosses as a control, it’s safe to go ahead and blame changes in the writing and directing staff for the profound nosedive this series has experienced between its first and second installments. Under the direction of Sean Anders, Horrible Bosses 2 just isn’t very smart: 90 percent of the jokes boil down to “I can’t believe that idiot is doing that” and “gay stuff is funny.” by Alison Hallett