The comedic pairing of Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston has always led to hilarious moments, even if some of their collaborations were better than others. As two sitcom stars, Bateman will be known to viewers for his leading role in Arrested Development, while Anitson became a household name as Rachel Green on Friends. However, both have also carved out impressive movie careers and collaborated on five feature films over the past nearly two decades.
Like the best comedy duos, Bateman and Aniston have an innate chemistry that means they play off one another well and complement each other perfectly. Bateman’s deadpan and often reserved comedic style helped balance Aniston’s more energetic and lively comedic demeanor, leading to several fantastic comedy movies. While their fruitful collaboration has led to a lackluster sequel and a holiday comedy that left viewers wanting, Bateman and Aniston's best movies together were truly comedy gold.
5Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)
Jason Bateman as Nick Hendricks & Jennifer Aniston as Dr. Julia Harris
Unfortunately for Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston, the concept of Horrible Bosses only lent itself to one great movie, and to try and continue it resulted in diminishing returns. While the comedic trio of Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis's plot against their overbearing and abusive bosses had plenty of great chemistry, it was a fool’s errand to try and reunite the cast and recapture the magic of its past glory. With Aniston returning as the nymphomaniac dentist infatuated with Day’s character, Dr. Julia Harris, Horrible Bosses 2 boasted an all-star cast but also suffered from a disappointing and forgettable script.
In the second installment, Bateman’s character Nick Hendricks encountered Julia while undercover at a sex addict’s group therapy session as her character continued her streak of sexually manipulative and often criminal behavior. While this was funny in the first film, it’s clear that Julia was a one-note character in Horrible Bosses 2, and excluding some laugh-out-loud moments, this sequel fell flat. Both Bateman and Aniston did their best with the material they were given, but it was not strong enough to live up to the rest of their work together.
While Horrible Bosses 2 was not a terrible movie, it mostly felt like a waste of an incredibly talented cast that failed to live up to its astounding potential. With plenty of callbacks to the first film, Horrible Bosses 2 had already overstayed its welcome before its runtime was halfway through. Although it did not flop at the box office, taking in a decent $107 million against its $40 million budget (via Box Office Mojo), this was significantly less than its predecessor and did not fair well for a potential Horrible Bosses 3.
4Office Christmas Party (2016)
Jason Bateman as Josh Parker & Jennifer Aniston as Carol Vanstone
The most recent pairing of Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston was the holiday movie Office Christmas Party, a raunchy comedy that brought together some of the funniest comedians working today. With Aniston as the uptight CEO Carol Vanstone threatening to close down her Chicago branch, Bateman played a recently divorced office worker who helped throw a massive Christmas party to try and land a major client and save the branch. This classic dynamic of wayward employees pushing back against their fussy boss meant that Office Christmas Party was far from original, but it still kept the jokes coming consistently.
The main issue with Office Christmas Party was its overloaded plot and clichéd nature. Its bloated cast didn’t get enough time to shine, and its characterization felt rushed. Bateman did a good job playing the straight man, who was the same type of witty, reserved character he’s portrayed countless times in comedy movies and Arrested Development. Aniston’s role as the antagonistic boss set on ruining everybody’s fun was more difficult to pull off, yet she still had several chances to shine throughout.
Sadly, Office Christmas Party can’t stack up against the very best Christmas movies, and although it’ll provide enough laughs to see audiences happy over the holidays, it’s quickly forgotten once the credits have rolled. Other performers like T.J. Miller, Kate McKinnon, and Jillian Bell helped elevate some scenes, but it was not enough to raise the Office Christmas Party out of mediocrity. As light entertainment, this works well, but don’t expect anything deeper than that.
3The Break-Up (2006)
Jason Bateman as Mark Riggleman & Jennifer Aniston as Brooke Meyers
Jennifer Aniston took the lead in her first collaboration with Jason Bateman, who was merely a supporting character in this run-of-the-mill romance. With Aniston as Brooke Meyes, the story of The Break-Up involved her character splitting up with Vince Vaughn’s Gary Grabowski as their arguments escalated, and Brooke felt unappreciated, while Gary felt she was too controlling. Caught in the middle of all this was Bateman as Mark Riggleman, a realtor and friend of the couple who attempted to mediate them selling the condo they owned together.
The Break-Up highlighted the struggles of modern relationships and the difficulties of bad communication and mismatched expectations. Brooke's desire for a partner who actually wants to help around the house was juxtaposed with Gary’s need for independence and the freedom to unwind after a hard day at work. These universal relationship issues provided plenty of laughs in The Break-Up, although that was not enough to save this release from being indistinguishable from any other rom-com dealing with a couple in the final stages of a doomed relationship.
Bateman provided enjoyable comic relief as his character was unwittingly exposed to the fractured romance of Aniston and Vaughn, although he did not have a lot of time to shine amid the main couple’s crumbling love affair. However, some aspects of The Break-Up attempted to break outside of conventional rom-coms, as it balanced raunchy comedy with typical chick-flick style humor. The Break-Up was a glimpse into the ugly side of dating, and countless viewers will surely relate to the complexities of what happens when a couple’s life together has to be painfully torn apart.
2The Switch (2010)
Jason Bateman as Wally Mars & Jennifer Aniston as Kassie Larson
The Switch was a rom-com dealing with a mix-up of epic proportions as Jason Bateman drunkenly switched sperm donations for his best friend’s (Jennifer Aniston) child. While the storyline of The Switch initially looked quite formulaic from the outside, it was actually a surprisingly well-acted and sentimental movie that came together incredibly well. While at the outset it appeared similar to countless forgettable rom-coms, The Switch slowly won viewers over with its strong performances and oddly affecting emotional heft.
As Wally Mars wallowed for years in his unrequited love for Kassie Larson, he felt cast into the dreaded friend zone despite being perfect for one another. With Kassie ready to have a child and in need of a donor, she dismissed Wally as too neurotic and instead chose a handsome, charming assistant professor (Patrick Wilson.) However, at Kassie's “insemination party,” Wally caught sight of the sperm donation in the bathroom and, after accidentally spilling it, replaced it with his own in a panic.
Fast forward several years and Kassie’s son has already turned seven, leading to Wally’s desire to reconnect with the woman he loved and become a father in this strangely sentimental and unconventional rom-com. The Switch was filled with interesting character dynamics, and although many aspects of it were well-worn themes in the rom-com genre, they came together here to create something new. With committed performances from Bateman and Aniston as well as an excellent turn from the child actor Thomas Robinson, The Switch was a surprising comedy that’s more than the sum of its parts.
1Horrible Bosses (2011)
Jason Bateman as Nick Hendricks & Jennifer Aniston as Dr. Julia Harris
Horrible Bosses was truly one of the best comedies of the 2000s, and its unique brand of humor and talented cast kept things fresh and exciting. With an enjoyable premise around three best friends planning to kill their respective bosses, Bateman played the financial executive Nick Hendricks, who was scorned over the manipulative way his boss (Kevin Spacey) held a potential promotion over his head. Jennifer Aniston portrayed the sexually aggressive dentist, Dr. Julia Harris, who would not stop pursuing her happily engaged assistant, played by Charlie Day.
As the group of friends conspired to murder their overbearing and abusive employers, Horrible Bosses cataloged their wayward misadventure to eliminate the people who stood in the way of their happiness. This clever concept was ripe for hilarity, and Horrible Bosses succeeded due to its impressive ensemble cast and a high-quality script filled with rapid-fire jokes. Aniston excelled in a sexually charged and morally dubious role, which stood as one of her best post-Friends performances.
While the concept of Horrible Bosses wasn’t quite strong enough to sustain a franchise, as seen from its lackluster sequel, as a standalone film, it was a truly compelling and well-executed comedy. As yet another testament to the skills of Bateman and Aniston, Horrible Bosses showcased that with the right script, both of these actors were capable of extremely strong comedic performances. With plenty of laughs, a strong concept, and a wide array of Hollywood talent, Horrible Bosses was essential viewing for any comedy lovers.
