Film Opening 3: The Boss

Director: Ben Falcone

Production Budget: $29m

Domestic Box Office: $63m

UK Box Office: $2.4m

Distributors: Universal, 

Production Companies: Gary Sanchez Productions, On The Day Productions

BBFC Rating: 15

MPAA Rating: R

Genre: Comedy

Actors: 

Melissa McCarthy  

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There are three film institutions that made the film, they are shown in this order: Universal Studios, Gary Sanchez Productions and then On The Day Productions. When the third film institution is shown, non-diegetic music starts playing (Captain and Tennille – Love Will Keep Us Together). This non-diegetic music is ironic to the story which connotes comedy genre and is upbeat. Gary Sanchez Productions is operated by Will Ferrell (American comedian actor) and Adam McKay connoting the comedy genre. McKay and Ferrell produced their comedy website Funny Or Die through their company Gary Sanchez Productions. On The Day Productions was made by Melissa McCarthy (main comedian star of the film) which connotes that the film is of comedy genre. This tells the audience that Melissa McCarthy was involved in making the film. 

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The film starts with going back in time to 1975 as the text appears to inform the audience we have gone back in time. The lighting is low key connoting sadness and gloom (that the past was bad). So far no conventions of comedy genre. The car connotes this time period also. Long shot of building. It says the building is ‘The blessed sisters of mercy’ connoting that it could be a foster home. There are diegetic sounds now aswell as non-diegetic sound.

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The first person who is shown in close up/mid shot is the protagonist this is connoted from how she is the first character shown (Michelle Darnell- Melissa McCarthy young). The low key lighting connotes sadness. The dialogue after this tells the audience that she is being sent back to the foster home because the guardian doesn’t want her anymore. After this dialogue the setting has changed again to a different time period, same place, another car pulls up outside, a new song played (1980) connoting that she is being sent back again after finding a new family. The protagonist grows up through these changes. Then, this happens again 5 years later (1985) with a change in song again and there is swearing from her connoting that she thinks she will never find a home and she is done with being fostered/adopted (never works out for her). The lighting slowly keeps getting brighter every time she ends back there connoting that things are getting better and the main character knows this and starts to see hop that she will end up at the top one day (inspiration for big dreams when she is older that everything will be great then). Michelle says ‘Families are for suckers, don’t worry about me, I don’t need anybody, I’m going straight to the top”. This narrative enigma tells the audience that this main character has had problems when she was young and that is the reason she is the way she is when she is older- arrogant, selfish, independent, a lone ranger, money endorsed.

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All of a sudden there is a dramatic change of scenery and the setting is in the future. There is diegetic sound of hands clapping and cheering and a voice on loudspeaker to an audience speaking about a woman (Michelle Darnell). This really surprises the audience that what she said when she was young was true she would make it to the top. The setting is at night in Chicago (big city at night connotes fame, power, money, glamour). There is high key lighting now (conventions of comedy now). The shot is an extreme long shot zooming in on the arena building with posters of Michelle Darnell on the outside walls connoting she has a sort of concert/live show about her life. 

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Then there is a sudden extreme long shot of the inside of the arena and music starts playing (‘All I Do is Win’) connoting fame and power that she is a really famous, wealthy woman now. Her entrance into the scene is a long shot of her coming in on a flying bird saying "Who wants to make some money!". Again, giving the impression of extreme wealth and fame, presenting her as powerful and strong and an idol. She is making a very strong statement. Her facial expression and body language and position of reaching up with a finger connotes power, arrogance and selfishness. The money falling down around her connotes that she is extremely wealthy and famous. The entire audience claps and cheers for her after this point connoting that everyone loves her and admires her. The audience watching the film have been told by the protagonist, the setting of the film (Chicago). 

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She keeps the audience on track and gives a basis of the storyline of her life. There is a lot of symbolism in her speech of how broken she is deep inside and that’s why she is so selfish, full of greed, revenge and anger  because she has no one, everyone left her so she had to find her own way in life without any support or help. It is like a huge comeback for her to prove she can make it on her own with no one in the way. The camera angles (low angle, side angles, zooming in and out) try to present her as powerful and famous and to be looked up on making the audience think so too. Then a new song starts playing after her speech to the audience, which is an up beat, full of greed, arrogant song (Eve – Tambourine).

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There are now fast cuts with shining lights between shots. This connotes fame and big lights and cities at night. All the shots are of the city at night with the film companies’ names in gold (connotes fame, gold, money and royalty). This is not common for the conventions of comedy, especially set at night, with a gold, royal, serif font.

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Order of Titles

1. 1975

2. 1980

3. 1985

3. Universal Pictures Presents

4. An On The Day/Gary Sanchez Productions production

5. Main Title: The Boss