Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Like a Boss Blu-ray Movie Review

The Devil Wears Makeup.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 14, 2020

To call Like a Boss "mind numbingly awful" would be to undersell this atrocity of a motion picture. While the peripherals look fine -- a solid cast, a passable story through which to transmit some hearty laughs -- the end product is anything but. Director Miguel Arteta (Youth in Revolt, Cedar Rapids) crafts a picture of technical competency but because it's based on and bogged down by one of the most vapid scripts to come down the pipe in recent years (and that's saying something) any and all positives get flushed down the toilet with the rest of it. If one is looking for brain-dead storytelling this one is just the ticket, but audiences would be wise to seek out superior mindless fare that's actually funny and relevant (there are a lot of such gems hailing from the 1980s) rather than grating and a disgrace to its time and the movie industry.

Anything to escape this movie...

Lifelong best friends Mel (Rose Byrne) and Mia (Tiffany Haddish) are living their shared dream of running a successful up-and-coming cosmetics company. Yet despite all of their gains, the bottom line is hurting and they’ve got about six months before going belly-up. Enter their savior: Claire Luna (Salma Hayek), an industry bigwig who wants to buy into the company. She will pay off their mounting debt in exchange for 51% of the company and invest more should things go well. Mel and Mia balk at losing majority ownership, so Claire revises her offer to allow Mel and Mia to maintain controlling interest in the company. Mel is all for it and Mia finally relents, but there’s a catch: if Mel and Mia break up their partnership, controlling interest goes to Claire. And Claire is smart. She knows what’s up, and she knows money changes everything, including the bonds of friendship. Can Mel and Mia survive their sudden influx of fame and fortune or will Clarie’s scheme prove their ultimate undoing?

Like a Boss serves up predictable and brainless tripe that wants to be hip and happening but just comes across as lazy and unimaginative. The film's so-called "emotional center" -- the Mel and Mia friendship that is put to the test when they taste real financial freedom -- is devoid of personality. Haddish and Byrne make for a good pairing but even actors of their caliber cannot lift material so trite and lacking in authenticity. Try as they might to put soul into heartless dialogue, to build those would-be natural connective fibers between them, their efforts come up short, overwhelmed by the maelstrom of filler that blows around them like an out-of-control tornado. The script seems less concerned with characterization and more concerned with packing the movie with every extracurricular morsel conceivable. That quickly kills off any plausible opportunity for the cast to elevate the material; there's just no room for anything but all of the bloat.

When Mel and Mia's relationship hits the skids -- of course it will, that's central to Claire's scheme -- there's little reason for concern. They'll patch up because the movie has to play the safe route rather than actually find a creative way to escape the clutches of conformity. And when they do, they find themselves in some oddball reality television-type contest that comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere, fast. Sort of like the rest of the movie, which even at 83 minutes, including credits, is a torturous exercise in mankind's ability to withstand self-inflicting punishment. It's not the absolute worst movie ever made but it is one of the most pointless. It would be nice to see these actors together again in a film that would truly let loose their talents and support, rather than hinder, their work.

Like a Boss Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like a Boss at least looks all glitzy and glamorous on Blu-ray. The digitally sourced image thrives at the 1080p resolution, yielding revealing details and splashy colors that suit the movie's style. It's sharp across the board, showcasing oftentimes breathtaking clarity and intimate detailing, evident most everywhere but perhaps nowhere more than on a few close-ups showcasing makeup application on eyes, lips, and cheeks. Clothes are pinpoint and the environments dazzle, whether Claire Luna's bright and expensively furnished offices or Mel and Mia's more ground-level shop. Colors dazzle with high yield intensity and punch. Every tone is vibrant and alive, very well saturated and dialed in to a natural contrast that doesn't push anything too hot or, conversely, too desaturated. Whites sparkle and black levels are healthy and deep. Skin tones hit the mark in every shot. Noise spikes during a makeup assembly montage in the closing minutes but is otherwise not much of a concern. The image shows no other hangup source or encode issues. For any fans out there, this transfer is a home run.

Like a Boss Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Like a Boss commands the soundstage with a well-rounded Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack. The material thrives in this configuration, bringing plenty of musical might that offers the soundtrack's beats in abundance, with firm clarity, positive low end response, and wide and deep output in balance. Environmental fill satisfies whether nearby or far away, whether subtle or boisterous. One of the best examples comes in chapter four inside a crowded karaoke bar. There's not much in terms of high impact sound effects; music and dialogue make up the majority of the listening experience, with the latter perfectly clear and prioritized from a natural front-center home.

Like a Boss Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Like a Boss' Blu-ray includes a couple of featurettes and a pair of deleted scenes. This product ships with a DVD copy of the film, a digital code, and an embossed slipcover.

• With Coworkers Like These, Who Needs Friends? (1080p, 5:41): A fluff piece exploring cast and crew chemistry, particularly between Haddish and Byrne.
• "Get Some" with Ron and Greg (1080p, 2:17): Two of the film's secondary characters pitch their cosmetics brand.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Included are You Need Me to Help You (0:38) and Now Hit Me (1:54).

Like a Boss Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

With most of the "competition" wiped out due to COVID-19 it's safe to say that there probably won't be a movie worse than Like a Boss released in 2020, but even with a full slate it's unlikely any studio film would have dethroned this atrocity. Obnoxious, unfunny, derivative, and wasting good talent, Like a Boss sputters and stumbles out of the gate and never recovers. What an abysmal motion picture. There is some good news, however. Paramount's Blu-ray is of a very high technical quality, delivering excellent 1080p video and a well-rounded 7.1 lossless soundtrack. A few extras are also included. Fans will find an A-grade Blu-ray presentation here but there's nothing on the movie side to warrant even a hint of a recommendation.