Mel (Rose Byrne) and Mia (Tiffany Haddish) have been friends since childhood and own a make-up company together. Unfortunately, while their friendship is still as strong as ever their finances aren’t with the company almost half a million in debt. Beauty guru and millionaire Claire Luna (Salma Hayek) sees potential in their company and offers to pay the debt and invest in exchange for a large share in their business. While Mel is enthusiastic about this opportunity to save the business and expand, Mia is more defensive and sceptical of the proposal. With opposing stances, they have to try and save their business while trying to maintain their friendship.
The plot was good with focus on their friendship and their company, with both elements shown in depth. The film is a comedy with moments of poignance but never long enough to detract from the overall comedic tone. The laughs were quick, often and well-earned as they kept coming throughout the entire film. The comedic tone was successful due to the excellent casting. Rose Byrne may not have shone as brightly as Haddish, but it was her subtle performance that made it possible for Haddish to show off so much. Equally, she did have her moments and was able to bring her acting chops to the more serious scenes with ease. Tiffany Haddish played a fantastic role, and never disappointed in her scenes. While she played the louder character, she didn’t seem to overwhelm the rest of the cast, playing off them all well. Salma Hayek played a character who was funny due to her ego and eccentricities. While the character seemed ridiculous in parts you could fully believe this person could exist in the real world due to the performance. I also felt that Jennifer Coolidge and Billy Porter played great supporting roles – making an impact without overstaying their welcome.
Like a Boss was a good film that provided light-hearted fun. The efforts of all involved paid off and turned a bland script into something quite fun. It was also refreshing to see such a large and strong female cast without the addition of a romance subplot. Not a classic but definitely enjoyable.
The Life of Sophie 