BLU-RAY REVIEW: THE BOSS
7/24/2016

OVERVIEW: Academy Award®-nominated Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, The Heat) takes charge in the outrageous, hilarious new comedy The Boss, arriving on Digital HD on July 12, 2016, and Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on July 26, 2016, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD feature even more fun and hilarity with deleted scenes, extended scenes, a gag reel, and alternate ending not seen in theaters! The Blu-ray™ and Digital HD also feature even more extras including an exclusive look at Melissa’s original 2005 comedy performance as Michelle Darnell at the world famous Groundlings – the act that brought The Boss to life!

SYNOPSIS: Melissa McCarthy stars as Michelle Darnell, a titan of industry who is sent to prison for insider trading. After doing her time, Michelle emerges, ready to rebrand herself as America’s latest sweetheart, but not everyone she steamrolled is so quick to forgive and forget. With nowhere to go and no one to scam, Michelle is forced to move in with former assistant Claire (Kristen Bell – Frozen, “House of Lies”) and her young daughter, Rachel. Now at her lowest point, Michelle wastes no time in devising a winner-take-all plan to rebuild her empire. Can she reclaim her status as the No. 1 screwer, or will the love of one family screw her for good?

FILM REVIEW: Melissa McCarthy's newest comedy The Boss is a bit different than her previous work in Identity Thief, Spy and Tammy. She's just as funny, but in a different way. For one, she's lost some weight and looks great (props to her), but it does take some getting used to if you're accustomed to her humor as someone who's heavyset. Then in The Boss, she has the hairstyle, fashion and demeanor of a woman that's wealthy, influential and knows it. Again, this is different from her usual not-so-refined sense of style. That being said, this is all aesthetics here and though it does take away some from the film, I believe it will open up more doors for her in her career as an artist and so is a risk worth taking.

As a comedy, The Boss is well worth the watch. It's funny, entertaining and enjoyable, with many laugh-out-loud moments. McCarthy (Michelle Darnell) is brilliant in her quick-witted one-liners, a testament of not just her acting but her writing as a co-writer of the script. For fans of McCarthy, this is another one for the books. Kristen Bell (Claire) does well alongside McCarthy as her assistant and later her business partner. The two have a likeable chemistry and back-and-forth banter that transitions smoothly as their relationship changes from boss/ subordinate to partners in their brownie business.

Aside from the comedic value of the movie, there are also some lessons to be learned. As a viewer, you learn that character is what really determines how far a person will go in life. Darnell had been sent to prison for insider trading, becoming a felon who was broke and homeless, a far cry from whom she had been as queen of her empire. Yet, despite this she managed to start anew and build a successful empire in the brownie business. You also learn about taking a leap of faith and following your dreams. Claire had to choose between a job that she hated (but provided for her and her daughter) and believing in her brownies enough to go full time into the business. Kudos to her for taking that leap … an inspiration for us all. Lastly, Darnell learned the value of family - how to care for others and how to let yourself be cared for by others. This was heartwarming as a viewer having witnessed her rejection as a child and orphan.

To sum up, how does McCarthy act in this film? Like A Boss. Four out of five stars are well deserved here for this lighthearted comedy, great for a night out with friends and family, or a date. Her fans and soon-to-be fans surely won't regret spending the extra cash to see her on the big screen

Review By Vanessa

BLU-RAY: The film is presented in widescreen in a 1.85:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement to the picture. It also includes  English, French  and Spanish subtitles.

VIDEO:
Widescreen (1.85:1) 16x9

AUDIO:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French DTS Digital Surround 5.1

Subtitles - English SDH, Spanish and French

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.

DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.

DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

Alternate Ending

Deleted Scenes

Extended/Alternate Scenes

Gag Reel

Michelle Darnell – Original Sketch - Melissa McCarthy’s full sketch at the Groundlings of her character “Michelle Darnell” in all its glory.

Origin Story - Even the boss has to start somewhere. We see and hear how the character of “Michelle Darnell” was created, and go from the early life at The Groundlings to the big screen. With interview footage from Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, and writer Steve Mallory, we get to relive the life of “Michelle Darnell.”

Peter Dinklage Gets to the Point - A hilarious piece about the Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, who plays Renault. This will include on-set and sit-down interviews with Peter and other cast; it showcases his sword fight & stunt training, eclectic wardrobe & hair styles andhis on-set chemistry with Melissa McCarthy.

Everybody Loves Kristen Bell - A look inside Kristen Bell’s character, Claire. From taking Michelle Darnell off the streets to helping create a brownie empire, Claire helped bring Michelle Darnell back to the top.