Review: This week’s releases are a barrel of laughs (Includes first-hand account)

Like a Boss (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)

Best friends, Mia and Mel (Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne) are living their best lives, running their own cosmetics company, until a villainous beauty mogul (Salma Hayek) conspires to steal it from under them. When her devious plan drives the besties apart, Mia and Mel learn that sticking together is the only way to turn the tables and take their company back.

This is one of those over-the-top buddy comedies in which the inseparable friends do almost everything together, from the moment they wake up and head to their joint business venture until they go to sleep in their shared apartment. Hayek plays a successful woman who doesn’t care about anything but the bottom line, which is demonstrated by her crude business practices and misplaced support. The film also takes a shot at the make-up industry as Mia and Mel promote a more natural application and their competition is a couple of guys who believe more is prettier. Overall, it falls a little flat but it has some good moments and the camaraderie between Haddish and Byrne is convincingly entertaining.

Special features include: deleted scenes; “’Get Some’ with Ron and Greg”; and “With Co-workers like These, Who Needs Friends?” (Paramount Home Entertainment)

Police Squad: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

The satirical comedy pits an ace detective and his captain (Leslie Nielsen & Alan North) against the criminal elements that befoul a big city.

Although the series only released six episodes, they are each hilarious examples of the visual comedy one would expect from Nielsen and the creators of Airplane! One of the keys to this style of humour is watching the screen as there is always something happening, whether it’s the protagonists being silly or someone doing something funny in the background. However, as Nielsen notes in the bonus features, TV viewers are often multitasking and not focused on watching the show, which meant they missed most of the jokes and resulted in the series’ cancellation. All was not lost, though, as it led to the creation of the Naked Gun film franchise.

Special features include: interview with Nielsen; “Behind the Freeze Frames”; casting tests; list of celebrity death shots; production memo highlights; photo gallery; and gag reel. (Paramount Home Entertainment)

The Rhythm Section (Blu-ray)

Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively) is a woman on a path of self-destruction after her family is tragically killed in a plane crash. When she discovers the wreck was no accident, Stephanie enters the dark, complex world of international espionage seeking vengeance. Her search leads to Iain Boyd (Jude Law), a former MI6 agent who trains her to hunt down those responsible. With nothing left to lose, Stephanie transforms from victim to assassin and discovers that neither revenge nor the truth are what they appear.

There are significant flaws with this narrative as it keeps all the important details that could draw audiences into the story on the periphery. When viewers meet Stephanie, she’s down-and-out in Europe with little hope of recovery or rehabilitation, which is why it’s puzzling that anyone would involve her in such a complex scheme so quickly. Then in lieu of a detox and training montage, she gains strength via clumsy preparation and poor instruction. The film keeps to the “normal person in extraordinary circumstances” theme by using less polished choreography for the action sequences. However, their total lack of remorse for certain incidents is off-putting, which is enhanced by an inability to engage with the characters.

Special features include: deleted and extended scenes; and featurettes. (Paramount Home Entertainment)

Spongebob Squarepants: Bikini Bottom Bash (DVD)

For he’s a jolly good yellow! You’re invited to the biggest Bikini Bottom celebration ever — SpongeBob’s birthday. But it’s a surprise, so SpongeBob and Patrick are going on a tour of the surface world while everyone else plans the birthday blowout below. Then, keep the good tides flowing as Bikini Bottom throws a wave of other parties. Catch some rays with SpongeBob and Patrick to get into the biggest bash in town, enjoy a girl’s night in at Pearl’s sleepover, raise the pineapple’s roof at SpongeBob’s house party, and celebrate the Krusty Krab’s momentous eleventy-seventh anniversary.

This compilation of under the sea parties shows Bikini Bottom’s many characters at their best and worst… and even in 3D as they enter the world of live action. The moral gets a little lost as Spongebob and Patrick try to achieve the perfect leathery tan to get into the party of the year, while Mr. Krab’s thriftiness upsets his daughter and threatens to ruin her sleepover. Meanwhile, Spongebob’s attempt at hosting goes terribly awry in spite of following all the steps for the perfect soiree and his efforts to elevate the Krusty Krab celebration results in no one enjoying the milestone.

There are no special features. (Paramount Home Entertainment)

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