When Lars von Trier is good, he is very good indeed. The man has made some films I absolutely love, even if I don’t rush to rewatch them. But when he is bad, oh boy, I cannot stand his mix of misanthropy and pretentiousness. I haven’t enjoyed many of his movies from the past decade or so, despite the praise he has received from many others, but I have no preconceptions whenever I sit down to watch one of his movies. Considering I hadn’t even heard of The Boss Of It All before today, I REALLY had no idea about what I was in for.
Peter Gantzler plays Ravn, a man looking to sell his Danish IT company to an Icelandic buyer. But that means the big boss will need to be present to sign the paperwork. The problem Ravn has is that he is the big boss, but nobody in the company knows that. He created a fictional boss figure, who would usually only communicate via sporadic emails, giving him someone to blame for the unpopular decisions while he received praise for any positives. Ravn hires an actor (Kristoffer, played by Jens Albinus) to portray the big boss, which should allow the deal to go through smoothly enough. Unfortunately, Kristoffer cannot play the role without more fully inhabiting his character, which seriously complicates the situation.
Taking aim at both the corporate office world and the mindset of overly earnest method actors, The Boss Of It All IS very funny, which is what you hope for with any comedy. It’s also still very much in the Von Trier style, everything very naturalistic and minimalist, even interspersed with occasional narration from the director himself (mocking the film-making choices used). Other people could have taken this in a number of different directions, from outright farce to a feelgood “fish out of water” tale, but Von Trier has his fun while ensuring that it remains a Von Trier work.
Albinus is very funny in the main role, reaching for motivations and characterizations that are unnecessary, and always seemingly one step away from upsetting the whole plan, while Gantzler is hilariously resigned to the fact that he has put his faith in someone so determined to needlessly complicate things. Iben Hjejle and Mia Lhyne stand out as two female staff members who believe they have a different relationship with their boss, and Friðrik Þór Friðriksson is very funny as the buyer having his patience sorely tested.
Although feeling quite meandering and unfocused at times, The Boss Of It All is actually expertly put together. Almost every gag set-up has a worthwhile payoff, and the loose threads are all tied together in time for a satisfying and very funny finale. I may not have known what to expect, but I am pleased that Von Trier remembered to make a comedy film with actual humour running through it (because, knowing him, that was never guaranteed).
Whether or not you are familiar with other films from this director, I recommend this one. It’s both unlike most of his other work, yet also perfectly at home in his filmography. I am surprised that it isn’t more well-known, because I think it ranks alongside some of his better films.
8/10
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