A box office disappointment that became a case study in critical and comedic failure
In short: Released in 2003, My Boss's Daughter is a comedy that struggled to find its footing with both audiences and critics. Directed by David Zucker, the film follows a researcher caught in a chaotic night of housesitting, but its legacy is defined more by its poor reception than its plot.
The film centers on Tom Stansfield, a researcher working for a demanding boss, Jack Taylor. Tom hopes to win the affection of Jack's daughter, Lisa, but finds himself trapped in a bizarre series of events while housesitting. The narrative includes a depressed owl named O-J, a brother on the run from drug dealers, and a comedy of errors involving mistaken identities and accidental poisonings. Despite this frantic premise, the film failed to resonate, earning a dismal 7% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 15 out of 100 on Metacritic.
Critics were particularly harsh, with reviews labeling the project as incoherent and inept. Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club criticized the film's reliance on idiocy, while Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave it an F grade, comparing the direction to a substitute teacher simply going through the motions. Even the cast, which included Ashton Kutcher and Tara Reid, faced scrutiny; both were nominated for Golden Raspberry Awards for their performances, though they ultimately did not win in their respective categories.
Financially, the movie was also a struggle. Produced on a $14 million budget, it grossed approximately $18.2 million worldwide. Its opening weekend in the United States brought in $4,855,798, landing it at number 10 at the box office. Over the years, the film has changed hands through various corporate acquisitions of the Dimension Films and Miramax libraries, eventually landing on the streaming service Paramount+ and seeing multiple home media reissues by companies like Echo Bridge Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: My Boss's Daughter
- Also: Wikidata — My Boss's Daughter · CC0
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