When a long work week ends, something we all have in common is turning on the TV and scrolling through the long rows of movie recommendations on Netflix. There are so many movies to choose from, including hiddens gems that don’t manage to squeeze their way onto the Top 10. However, sometimes the Top 10 actually includes those hidden gems you can’t miss.
The current Top 10 most popular movies on Netflix ranking includes the streamer’s new original hits Swapped and Apex as well as throwback and recent favorites like Green Book, The Proposal, Zombieland: Double Tap, Pretty Woman, Jennifer’s Body, and more. But there’s a comedy that didn’t get the love that it deserved 10 years ago that’s finally making a resurgence.
Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Bell’s The Boss hits Netflix Top 10 movies
That would be The Boss, the 2016 comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Bell. If you didn’t catch the movie the first time around, you might have forgotten all about it and might even feel like you’re hearing about it for the first time. Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Bell have a movie together? Yes, they do! And it’s much funnier, wackier, and worth watching than critics would lead you to believe.
The Boss, which was directed by McCarthy’s real-life husband Ben Falcone, was co-written by McCarthy, Falcone, and Steve Mallory. Released in April 2016, the film celebrates its 10th anniversary with the triumphant return of one of McCarthy’s most daring comedy characters yet. Michelle Darnell is a bold and fearless businesswoman who’s willing to do anything to maintain her wealth.
However, Michelle Darnell lands herself behind bars due to insider trading, but she doesn’t allow getting on the wrong side of the law to get her down. Once she leaves prison, she teams up with Claire (Kristen Bell), her former assistant, and schemes her way to turning Claire’s daughter’s Dandelion Scouts cookie business into her ticket back into the big time.
Upon its release, The Boss underperformed at the box office, only grossing $78.8 million worldwide against its $29 million budget. That’s still something of a success, but it’s not nearly as big as the movie could have been, which could have been due to its much too low 22% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics weren’t impressed, but 10 years later, the movie’s still full of laughs.
Let’s face it, even a “bad” Melissa McCarthy movie is still good in some way (though maybe that’s not the total truth for her Netflix original comedy Thunder Force). The movie was just on in a string of big-screen comedies that arrived following her career upswing, including Identity Thief, Tammy, Spy, Ghostbusters, Life of the Party, and The Happytime Murders.
The Boss, as many Netflix fans are discovering in May 2026, gifts us with McCarthy’s tireless comedy chops, a winning performance from Bell, and a wildly unexpected good time from start to finish. It’s not the greatest movie of all time, but it’s the perfect 90-minute escape for a laugh-out-loud movie night on Netflix. Make sure to add it to your watch list while it’s available to stream!
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