Anemic economy makes this summer the ideal time, climate for ‘Horrible Bosses’

Ever the dutiful employees, all parties press on to discuss the work environment on the “Horrible Bosses” set.

“Seth Gordon just created a really fun, fun set where there were no bad ideas and no one was made to feel a fool,” Bateman said. “I mean, I’d like to sit in traffic with Seth Gordon, you know? The man’s a real treat.”

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(John P. Johnson/ John P. Johnson ) - Jason Bateman as Nick and Kevin Spacey as Dave Harken in ‘Horrible Bosses.’

Bateman — who famously ran the Bluth Corp. on “Arrested Development” and supervised George Clooney in “Up in the Air” — undoubtedly understands the value of sucking up to the boss. But in this case, his description seems accurate.

Wearing black Nikes with lime-green soles and a T-shirt from the Austin restaurant Chuy’s as he sips hot water with lemon, Gordon exudes calm acceptance.

“There are directors that kind of rule with an iron fist and are tyrannical and stomp their feet, and it’s kind of, my way or the highway. . . . I’m not very interested in that as a leadership style,” the 36-year-old said. “I’m a much bigger fan of create a safe environment where it’s fun to play around.”

As for the fictional bosses, there’s the environmentally unconscious chemical company chief executive played by Colin Farrell, a coke head who wants to fire all the obese and disabled people in his office. Then there’s the dentist played by Jennifer Aniston, a nymphomaniac who harasses her assistant (Day) in ways employee handbooks never dare to address. (Thanks to her newly public romance with D.C. native and writer-actor Justin Theroux, Aniston may have snagged more publicity for “Horrible Bosses” than the entire cast combined.)

But Kevin Spacey plays the most horrible boss of all: the unethical, mean-spirited psycho who turns the life of Bateman’s character into the office equivalent of daily waterboarding.

Let’s go back to that conference call.

Day: Even though Colin Farrell’s character was willing to let people die in — where was it, Bolivia? — Kevin Spacey is definitely the one who does the most psychological damage to his employee.

Bateman: I may have just been more effective at playing hurt and vulnerable than you guys.

Day: It could all be Bateman’s performance.

Sudeikis: Spacey [is the most frightening].

Day: That’s two votes for Spacey.

Bateman, again to reporter: Basically, just to sum up the answer — and I don’t mean to write for you but — Bateman is a knockout.

Hang on there, Bateman. In an economy where good jobs are rare, let’s let the reporter do her job.