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Like a Boss






STORY: Best friends and business partners-in-cosmetics, Mia Carter (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel Paige (Rose Byrne), may not have the perfect trade model in place, but with a supportive gang of girlfriends to lean on and no marital responsibilities to take care of; the duo seems to be in a happy space.

REVIEW: The self-made owners of ‘Mel&Mia’ are close to bankruptcy and yet, the sassy girls are delightfully enjoying their status as sexually liberated single women, who chose to be roommates even after being tied to each other’s hips for over 20 years. In comes the shrewd and conniving make-up mogul Claire Luna (Salma Hayek), with a bag full of cash and some unscrupulous ideas up her sleeves. Mel is the ‘secretly meaner’ one and Mia has her reservations about this overgenerous investor – one wants to do away with the debt, while the other is trying to railroad the former against it. Will money and individual recognition create a rift between these two middle-school besties?

Ten minutes into the film, and even a layman knows that the storyline of ‘Like A Boss’ is a watered-down version of 'The Devil Wears Prada' meets 'Sex and the City'. For one, Salma Hayek, as this wretch of an entrepreneur, is a complete misfit and the dialogues that she mouths are a classic example of what slothful writing looks like. You know it isn’t working in favour of director Miguel Arteta when the character Claire Luna says, concocting an air of arrogance around her, that ‘people do not stay best friends once money comes in’, but looks vivacious and doesn’t have a strand of meanness in her voice. Also, the jokes in this comedy caper are stale. Perhaps in zillions of chat shows that she has been to, Hayek’s seen casually throwing around a joke or two about her breasts – a one-liner that would have worked five years ago, but holds very little relevance now. Tiffany Haddish, with her thick accent and witticism, is a complete natural; hilarious to the core and one of the two reasons you would want to sit through the movie. Rose Byrne, as the people-pleasing, validation-seeking Mel, is a character that is relatable on so many levels – she is a go-getter and has big dreams, but the fear of being judged is constantly bogging her down. The two actresses’ chemistry on screen radiates charm and looks organic. In the second half, there are parts when one cannot help but get teary-eyed when the two cry over their pitiful pasts.

Having said that, it is absolutely impossible to look beyond the flaws, mediocrity and predictability of the plot and how the climax was wound up in tearing hurry – hint: it is way too convenient and far removed from reality… even for a comedy chick flick! The humour starts with rib-tickling material and then demotes to crass comedy in quick succession.

To sum it up, the experience of watching ‘Like A Boss’ is like revisiting high school in a not-so-nostalgic way. But, if you are grateful for your bosom buddy and would like to share a light moment with him/her, watch it for the feels.


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