One boss is dead, one boss in jail and the other has been blackmailed. Three years ago, the summer blockbuster movie “Horrible Bosses” hit the big screen with the witty charm of a modern day three stooges. Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman), Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) got payback and helped each other take down their horrible bosses. This time they are back a sequel to one of the funniest, well-casted comedies of 2011. The trio is taking a whole new turn on hating their bosses. Taking place a couple of years after the events of the first movie, Nick, Kurt and Dale have all quit their jobs and are now wannabe entrepreneurs with their own product, “the shower buddy.” A popular distributer owned by Bert Hansen (Christoph Waltz) , invests in the product, but then sweeps the rug out from under the three friends, leaving them $500,000 in the hole. The three, now furious and desperate, come up with a plan to get their money back leading them into another crazy and hilarious chain of events where nothing seems to go as planned.

This movie is a must see if you are a fan of the first film. The stakes are higher, the characters are bigger and the plan is more elaborate. One of the big things that stuck out was the way the creators handled it as a sequel. They did a great job keeping the jokes and events from the first film consistent. I recommend seeing the first movie to understand some of the jokes and references, but the movie is enjoyable even if you didn’t. They kept alive some recurring jokes like Jamie Foxx’s character, MF Jones‘ terrible negotiation skills and bringing up that Dale accidentally saved Kevin Spacey’s character, Dave Harken, one of the first evil bosses.

The movie also did a great job of keeping the older characters and getting a different angle on them. In this film instead of being the terrible boss they are targeting, Dave Harken is now behind bars and the guys visit him seeking advice. You also get to see more of Jennifer Aniston’s character, Dr. Julia Harris, where she gets to be a little more involved with the whole group. MF Jones also plays a bigger part of the plan with the three instead of just “the murder consultant” in the first film.

While old actors stuck around, great new actors like Christoph Waltz, who I wish we got to see a little more of, and Chris Pine, who really surprised me as a comedy actor. Pine did well in “This Means War,”  as a character with a playboy attitude and sarcastic sense of humor, while this role shows how crazy and almost psychotic he can act.  They were both great additions to the movie.

Overall the movie was fun. The jokes weren’t as on point and gut-punching as the first, but it made you laugh a ton and made up for it with a great storyline. For a comedy movie, it isn’t the funniest it could’ve been, but it is one of the only movies which feature both Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis on the big screen. Seeing the pair act together makes the movie even better.

I give this movie a seven out of 10. While the jokes may have fallen through at points, the movie redeems itself with suspenseful plot and a very talented cast. Viewers are sure to have a fun time watching it.

You can find a trailer at www.horriblebosses2.com