A black comedy with telling satirical elements, “The Good Boss” is an entertaining and provocative film brimming with impressive performances.
Review by Jonathan W. Hickman
Film Details:
Director: Fernando León de Aranoa
Cast: Javier Bardem, Manolo Solo, Almudena Amor, Óscar de la Fuente, Sonia Almarcha, Celso Bugallo, Fernando Albizu, and Tarik Rmili
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour 56 minutes
Available in limited theatrical release
Blanco blurs the line between boss and family member. He meddles in his employees' personal lives for his company's benefit. His insidious strategy all depends on proper balance.
Writer/director Fernando León de Aranoa’s “The Good Boss” is an engrossing portrait of an arrogant company president who believes that what’s best for the company is best for everyone. When Blanco can’t get his way, he puts his finger on the scales.
de Aranoa’s humorous and biting script gets a boost by his game cast led by Oscar winner Javier Bardem, with whom he worked on 2002’s “Mondays in the Sun.” Going for a tighter structure but nonetheless character-focused narrative, de Aranoa and Bardem deliver a satirical attack on corporate greed.
Bardem’s Blanco is a gregarious fellow quick to remind anyone within earshot of his family’s contributions to the community and their tradition of winning top prizes in business. The family company develops, builds, and sells industrial scales. And Blanco sees the world as constantly in need of balance. When he notices something off-kilter in the classic manual scales prominently displayed in front of his factory, he instantly commands that it be addressed. This slight imbalance sends the wrong message.
Seeking another business excellence award, Blanco routinely scans his industrial floor for anything that may be out of place. When his production manager Miralles (Manolo Solo) appears to be having trouble with simple tasks, he investigates.
Miralles and Blanco have a long history together, dating back to when they were children. And the way Blanco tells it, Miralles made choices that benefitted the youthful Blanco, keeping him from receiving the full brunt of his commanding father’s wrath. Of course, Blanco’s memories are clouded by his hubris, a personality disorder masked by privilege.
As Blanco gets further entangled in Miralles’ personal struggles, he learns of a disturbing love triangle that might present complications in the workplace. But armed with significant resources, Blanco’s manipulation reaches deep, and compliance is all but guaranteed. However, a little hubris might go unnoticed, but a heaping helping of blind arrogance might bring down the company.
Blanco’s standard operating procedure confuses the work and personal worlds in an endearing and downright actionable way. This melding naturally includes his affection for young ladies, including preying on a model-like intern named Liliana (Almudena Amor), easily thirty years his junior.
After they have torrid sex in a company apartment, Blanco incredulously remarks that the encounter is amazing. The experienced Gen-Z Liliana replies that she’s been watching porn for tips. Liliana’s intentions are as calculated as Blanco’s, but her youth conveys a delicate innocence.
Playing with people’s affections has been Blanco’s secret weapon and disturbing talent for decades. A smile, a pat on the back, and a check is often all that’s required to smooth the way. But when a recently laid-off employee stages a protest on public land across from Blanco’s factory, his grip on people he believes are under his control begins to loosen. A crash seems all but inevitable.
“The Good Boss” has a propulsive energy that kept me constantly interested and entertained. Of course, Bardem is terrific, as is everyone around him. Solo and de la Fuente leave an impression by playing two troubled souls desperate to reclaim their dignity. But Bugallo impacted me most playing an aged father named Fortuna whose youngest son runs afoul of the law.
Bugallo expertly plays Fortuna as a dutiful employee who is devoted to Blanco and the good of the company. The pain experienced is written all over his face and coupled with his pinched body language. In one critical scene, it appears that Fortuna’s tragedy will somehow transform and melt Blanco's cynical and calculating heart. But de Aranoa’s sardonic script doesn’t give anyone an easy out.
A black comedy with telling satirical elements, “The Good Boss” is an entertaining and provocative film brimming with impressive performances.
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