'Horrible Bosses 2' review: The premise is ditched, and so is the comedy

The few moments of humor in the 2011 comedy "Horrible Bosses" came from both its talented cast and relatable premise. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day played Nick, Kurt and Dale, respectively, nice guys saddled with wildly abusive superiors. Each actor played to his strength -- Bateman the doormat, Sudeikis the swinger, Day the puppy dog -- in scenarios that took workplace indignities to comedic extremes.

The sequel, "Horrible Bosses 2," comes with an inherent problem. There's no way to put these guys back in lousy jobs again, not without making them look like career losers. So new screenwriters Sean Anders (also directing) and John Morris take another tack: Keep the title, ditch its whole premise and hope audiences won't notice.

"Horrible Bosses 2" opens with the three onetime worker bees launching their own business. They've invented something called the Shower Buddy they hope to sell to retail mogul Bert Hanson and his spoiled son, Rex (Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine, both serviceable). When the Hansons prove dishonest, our heroes launch a kidnapping plan that will pay off in both money and revenge. Things don't go as intended, for them or the movie.

"Horrible Bosses 2" is filled with vulgar humor, much of it from Jennifer Aniston, returning as Dale's sex-addicted former boss. There are slightly racist jibes at Mexicans and Asians. The script is extremely lazy: Characters simply appear without explanation and begin running through sitcom-quality scenarios. (Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx both reprise their roles.) What sinks the movie, though, is the way it degrades its three heroes.

In the original film (also about a botched crime), they were average Joes prone to dumb mistakes; here, they are absolute morons, devoid of critical thinking skills and unable to perform simple tasks. Their idiocy allows for plot complications and humor (of a sort), but it also makes them exasperating and insufferable.

The original film drew some unfavorable comparisons to the classic workplace comedy "9 to 5." It's starting to look a lot better now that this sequel has arrived.