Nick Hendricks, played by Jason Bateman, arrives at his high-powered financial firm at an early hour of 6:00 am. For the past eight years, he's been vying for a promotion that his boss, Dave Harken, has consistently withheld. Instead, Harken berates Nick for being two minutes late on this particular morning. Meanwhile, Dale Arbus, portrayed by Charlie Day, is engaged to Stacie but faces continual harassment from his exceedingly forward boss, Julia Harris, played by Jennifer Aniston. On another front, Kurt Buckman, who is brought to life by Jason Sudeikis, finds joy in his role as the second-in-command at Pellitt Chemicals, a company owned by the affable Jack Pellitt. However, he contends with the obnoxious Bobby Pellitt, Jack's son, who amusingly indulges his fondness for cocaine. Tragedy strikes when Jack unexpectedly dies from a heart attack.
In the wake of this calamity, Nick, Dale, and Kurt convene at a bar to share nightmarish tales concerning their bosses. Nick feels optimistic about his future, while Kurt expresses uncertainty about Bobby's intentions. Dale, on the other hand, grapples with the stigma of being labeled a sex offender for a previous misunderstanding. The very next day, in a turn of events, Dave promotes himself to Nick’s long-desired position and threatens dire consequences if Nick dares to resign.
Kurt becomes a target of Bobby's cruelty as he learns that Bobby plans to sell the company and exploit its workers. In a separate, uncomfortable scenario, Dale finds himself in Julia's office, where she makes bold advances that leave him feeling cornered due to his precarious situation as a flagged offender. The trio reunites that night, humorously tossing around the idea of putting an end to their horrible bosses.
Dale proposes the idea of hiring a “Wet Work” expert off of Craigslist, under the assumption it would lead them to a professional hitman. Instead, they inadvertently recruit a gigolo who specializes in fetishes. Their quest takes them to a bar where they encounter Dean "Motherf*r" Jones, who explains he is just out of prison, offering his services for $30,000. The trio finds his price absurd but ends up agreeing upon a cheaper deal when he brings it down to $5,000* to assist them in killing their respective bosses.
Their antics spiral into chaos as they attempt to gather intelligence on their targets. They break into Harken's house, only to witness a series of unforeseen circumstances—culminating in a mix-up with an EpiPen that accidentally saves Harken’s life, unbeknownst to them. Their plans further deteriorate as such ill-fated events lead the trio to conclude that fleeing the country is their only option once they become entangled in a murder plot due to unintentional consequences.
Desperate, they revisit Jones, who instructs them to obtain a confession from Harken regarding the murder of Bobby, which they believe will absolve them. Harken hosts a surprise party, where they hope to trap him into broadcasting his crimes. A series of blunders occur, including a catastrophic mix-up involving a tape recorder that captures evidence of Kurt’s infidelity rather than Harken’s confession.
In a twist of fate, the recorder captures Harken admitting to the murder just as the police arrive to detain him, bringing a satisfying closure to their turbulent journey. The epilogue reveals the characters having their lives transformed in unexpected ways—Nick assumes a new position of power as Harken's replacement, while Kurt finds solace in a less toxic work environment and Dale wrestles with Julia's persistent advances but cunningly flips the power dynamic, seizing leverage over her once and for all.
Ultimately, the story unfolds with a blend of dark humor, unexpected friendships, and the timeless struggle against oppressive authority in the workplace.
