Javier Bardem is the center of a small movie universe as the titular character in The Good Boss, but there is no movie without the eccentric cast of characters orbiting around him. They all work together to make for an easy, super low-key dramedy.
Bardem is the owner of the Blanco Scale Company – a manufacturing outfit that builds scales of every size and purpose. Even a scale for weighing cows!
What’s most on his mind during the one week in which the story takes place, is hosting a panel of judges who will decide whether his company is deserving of an excellence in business award- a new prize to put on display with all of his previous honors.
But, and this has been confirmed by noted screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, stories need to present obstacles that are screwing up the best efforts of the something that is getting in the way of the protagonist’s goal.
To that end, we meet an employee who Bardem has fired, in the gentlest way possible, but nevertheless sets up a camp across the street from the company’s front gate – chanting, mooning, and displaying all manner of placards that would surely quash an Excellence in Business Award, no?
Then there’s the important, and formerly dependable worker whose wife is having an affair with the stated intent of leaving him. His rapid decline is a kind of daily meltdown that would totally screw the pooch, if the awards committee sees the sub-par results of his very bad week.
Not to mention, a new intern ( Almudena Amor) who is tall, legs for days, and gorgeous, who immediately catches Bardem’s eye, leading to bad behavior and a twist that shows Miss Intern is not a victim, she’s also a boss—as in, “like a boss.” It’s an extraordinary performance.
And through all of these side streets and a few others, The Boss must navigate treacherous waters, empathize with employees, past and present who might easily screw the pooch.
At the center of this universe, Bardem commands our attention. If the CEO were someone like Trump, we’d say that the boss was an a$$hole – but with the charming Bardem in the role, Mr. Blanco is more of what you’d call a “rascal.” Plus, I mean, it’s Europe – certain behaviors are less stigmatized.
His necessary versatility in the art of human interaction makes the character interesting and the actor admirable. The whole lot of this cast are noteworthy.
There are no big revelations or wowzer moments; it’s more of an accessible art film and a laid back way of killing a couple of hours. 3 out of 4 stars.
Now playing at these theaters from Cohen Media | 2 hrs. | Unrated with sexual situations, language. In Spanish, with subtitles.