“The Boss of it All” from celebrated Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier is a comedy set in a small IT firm.
When the owner of the firm, Ravn, decides to sell his company he has to employ Kristoffer, an actor, to pretend to be his superior as the prospective buyers and the employees of the company have been led to believe that there is a boss of it all.
Due to Ravn's insatiable desire to be loved, he invented this boss, so he would never be blamed for decisions made in the company or for feelings hurt.
Unfortunately for Ravn, Kristoffer who he employs just to sign the papers and say very little, is treating this performance as if it were Hamlet.
This is one of Von Trier's most accessible films to date. I have become so accustomed to his depiction of tragedy and hardship in films like “Breaking the waves” and “Dancer in the Dark” that “The Boss of it All” came as a rather pleasant surprise.
Von Trier still employs his typical experimental form, with out of focus shots and strange angles so “Boss of it All” has an almost student film appearance that accentuates the drabness and mendacity of the office.
This clever, dialogue heavy comedy reminded me a little of Ricky Gervais's “ The Office” – it's a film that creeps up on you and highlights Von Trier's own penchant for the absurd.
Even though “The Boss of it All” is far from being the funniest comedy I have ever seen, Von Trier's plot and characters spiked my interest to such a degree that I stayed engaged right to the end.
“The Boss of it All” is a great way to access the lighter side of Lars Von Trier - 3 stars.
