The Boss’ Wife

Directed by Ziggy Steinberg, The Boss’ Wife follows Daniel Stern’s Joel Keefer as his efforts to climb the corporate ladder are stymied by his boss’ (Christopher Plummer’s Mr. Roalvang) wife’s (Arielle Dombasle’s Louise) flirtatious antics. It’s a reasonable-enough premise that’s employed to watchable yet pervasively hit-and-miss effect by Steinberg, as the filmmaker, working from his own screenplay, delivers a perpetually oddball endeavor that’s never as funny or engaging as one might’ve hoped – with the arms-length atmosphere heightened by Steinberg’s head-scratching approach to certain seemingly foolproof comedic bits and set-pieces (ie the movie is rarely, if ever, as laugh-out-loud funny as one might’ve anticipated). The movie’s relative failure is especially disappointing given that Steinberg elicits a winning, entertaining performance from Stern, although it’s certainly clear that Plummer’s over-the-top turn as Joel’s eccentric boss remains an ongoing highlight within the otherwise erratic proceedings. By the time the frenetic but hardly-as-uproarious-as-it-should-be climax rolls around, The Boss’ Wife has undoubtedly cemented its place as a curious and very mild success that feels, for the most part, like it’s partially unfinished (ie there’s just something intangibly missing, ultimately).

**1/2 out of ****