While many viewers remember John Francis Daley for his beloved performance as Sam Weir on Freaks and Geeks, he has become one of Hollywood’s most essential comedy scribes. Daley and his creative partner Jonathan Goldstein have written many of the funniest films of the past decade, and they’ve been having just as much success as directors. After rewriting the script for Horrible Bosses, the pair wrote the underrated magic comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and the superior sequel Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2, which landed them the opportunity to rework a classic National Lampoon property when they directed 2015’s Vacation.
Vacation may have been a disappointment, but it was a rare miss from a creative duo that’s certainly improved significantly ever since. After working on the script for Spider-Man: Homecoming, the pair directed the brilliant dark comedy Game Night, which is one of the few genuinely great studio comedies in recent memory. While they were briefly attached to work on Warner Brothers’ The Flash, Daley and Goldstein instead directed Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which has earned rave reviews. Clearly, these two know what they are doing; in an era where studios seem desperate to rework older properties, Daley and Goldstein have been able to continue and launch franchises by keeping creativity in mind.
Horrible Bosses Created a Great New Comedy Franchise
Horrible Bosses has a premise that is surprisingly dark for a mainstream studio comedy; generally, it’s smaller independent comedies that deal with more twisted subjects like murder and abuse. The film follows the disgruntled employees and lifelong best friends Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman), Dale Arbus (Charlie Day), and Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis), all of whom have difficult bosses that make their lives miserable. Nick’s boss Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) forces him to work beyond reason and verbally abuses him, Dale’s boss Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston) makes unwanted sexual advances on him, and Kurt’s boss Bobby Pellit (Colin Farrell) is erratic and addicted to drugs.
While the premise sets up a workplace comedy similar to Office Space, Horrible Bosses takes a darker route when the trio decides to take revenge and kill each other’s bosses. It’s an inspired direction that allows multiple actors to play against type, and invites the possibility for future installments that introduce a new cast of supporting players. Daley and Goldstein crafted a perfect premise that anyone who has ever had a difficult employer can relate to. While the film certainly goes to some twisted extremes, the characters remain completely likable.
Unsurprisingly, Horrible Bosses perfectly set up the grounds for a sequel, in which Nick, Dale, and Kurt become their own bosses, only to have their idea stolen by the wicked businessman Kurt Hanson (Christoph Waltz) and his maniacal son Rex (Chris Pine). While they were involved in the story, Daley and Goldsteins’ earlier drafts were rewritten by the film’s new director Sean Anders. While the premise of Horrible Bosses 2 is just as strong, it lacks the derisive edge that Daley and Goldsteins’ dialogue had. However, Day has stated that he’d still be interested in reprising his role for a potential Horrible Bosses 3.
Spider-Man: Homecoming Successfully Rebooted the Series
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Daley and Goldstein were facing a huge challenge when they were tasked with rebooting the Spider-Man franchise. Considering that the franchise had just recently been rebooted with The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, audiences were sick of seeing Peter Parker’s origin story. Daley and Goldstein also had to set up a version of the character that exists within the established timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; since Tom Holland was set to appear in Avengers: Infinity War, they needed to find a way to tie him into the core Avengers group.
Daley and Goldstein made the brilliant decision to treat the film like a modern day John Hughes comedy similar to The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, or Pretty in Pink. Peter is treated like an average high school student who is struggling to find himself, fit in at school, and impress his crush Liz (Laura Harrier). It only becomes more complicated as he deals with his responsibilities as Spider-Man. While the presence of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) certainly helps add some exposition, he does not steal the spotlight away from Peter. Daley and Goldstein’s comedic background clearly had an impact, as Homecoming is easily the funniest film in the franchise.
Additionally, Daley and Goldstein helped craft one of the MCU’s best villains, and one of the more relatable antagonists across the entire Spider-Man franchise. Adrien Toomes (Michael Keaton) isn’t an over-the-top villain with the intention of taking over the world; he’s simply a struggling family man who uses crafty means to get revenge on Stark Industries. He provided the perfect low-level stakes for Peter to go up against, and the twist that he is actually Liz’s father is one of the most effective revelations that the MCU has ever pulled off.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Deserves a Continuation
After the disastrous 2000 Dungeons & Dragons film, interest in a rebooted version of the role-playing game was not very high. The game has a widespread group of fans, but with a property as niche as Dungeons & Dragons, getting non-players interested in a film was going to be an uphill battle. Daley and Goldstein walked the fine line between the two markets and created a film that serves them both equally; there are plenty of references that hardcore Dungeons & Dragons fans will certainly notice, but the film works as a standalone fantasy adventure for those who have never played a role-playing game.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves feels like a throwback to the classic live-action fantasy adventure sagas like Pirates of the Caribbean and The Mummy. It’s a fun, delicately paced adventure that sets up a great group of characters and provides more than enough humor and action. Considering that the fantasy genre has certainly taken a darker direction thanks to television shows like Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and The Witcher, having a new fantasy film that isn’t quite as grim felt like a breath of fresh air. It’s playfully tongue-in-cheek, as the titular hero Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) is wisecracking and surprisingly relatable. The stakes are simple and straightforward; Darvis simply wants to reunite with his daughter, and he’s willing to pull off a dangerous heist just to keep his family safe.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
