Review: 'The Boss' Starring Melissa McCarthy And Kristen Bell
Melissa McCarthy rages as an emotionally isolated, tyrannical business leader in "The Boss." Drawing on real-world figures including Martha Stewart, McCarthy updates one of her early Groundlings characters to create Michelle Darnell, a business mogul, author and motivational speaker who is brought low by an insider-trading conviction. Forced to start over after a jail stint, her considerable business acumen and force of will are tested by a partnership with her former assistant (Kristen Bell) and rivalry with a former lover-turned-enemy (Peter Dinklage). Directed and co-written by McCarthy's husband Ben Falcone, who also helmed "Tammy," this uneven but occasionally riotous comedy is a step forward from that road-trip slog.
Decked out in skyscraper-high turtlenecks and a Trump-orange wig, the selfish and abrasive Michelle Darnell could be mistaken for a live-action Krusty the Clown. She belittles confidantes, celebrates betrayals of former partners, and...