Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman Are an Overlooked Dream Team

It’s a confirmed fact that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are the duo of our time, the pals of a generation, and the entertainers of the century. But there’s a pairing lurking out there in Hollywood that we don’t give enough credit to, and that honor belongs to Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman.
The two are teaming up for their fifth film together (with another one on the way!) in this week’s Office Christmas Party. Aniston plays the hardass boss who is anti-Christmas party, unless it can land their company a big deal. Bateman’s character goes to work in order to secure said deal, along with TJ Miller and Olivia Munn, in an ensemble cast that also includes Rob Corddry, Courtney B. Vance, and 2016 Queen of Comedy, Kate McKinnon.

While these generous team players are sure to rule a couple of tense boardroom moments and outrageous party scenes together, it’s when these two go head to head, mano a mano, beautiful comedic actor to beautiful comedic actor, that things get interesting. Most of her scenes in The Break-Up pit her against Vince Vaughn so they can fight about lemons (even though it was never about the lemons), and Charlie Day serves as her target in the Horrible Bosses movies, where she continually gave such a wonderfully raunchy and intimidating performance. But when her attention does turn to Bateman, there’s a magical movie ease between them.
This is on display, front and center in 2010’s The Switch, directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, who are also responsible for Office Christmas Party. These guys knew what they were doing, putting Aniston and Bateman together. In The Switch, he plays her friend-zoned pal who switches his sperm with the donor’s as she embarks on single motherhood. The premise might sound a bit ridiculous, but it works on screen, and that’s in part due to this casting. These two have got the good looks and the unfairly spot-on comedic timing, but underneath, there’s also this realistic vulnerability they are both able to display, quite bravely at times. Somehow, these talented, gorgeous, millionaires are able to seem normal!

For a couple of A-listers, Aniston and Bateman have had their moments. They know what it’s like to have some less-than-glamorous and embarrassing moments in the spotlight. They’ve worked that sitcom grind, they’ve been around the business, they’ve got their own families now, and they’ve been friends for over 20 years. That perspective helps informs their performances opposite each other.
While they’ve played rivals, friends, and more than friends, they could also play brother and sister at some point, and it would feel natural. That ease, the comfortability, is very much there. It feels as though either of them could be their meanest or their sweetest to the other on-screen, and it would be a safe space. It should also be noted that Aniston has played some of her toughest, badass, accomplished characters when Bateman’s in the equation. Plus, they share the same knack for that sarcastic sense of humor. This duo knows how to set a pick or an alley-oop with the best of them.
The next movie these two will star in together is Significant Other (with Bateman also directing), where Aniston plays a high-powered business lady up for a big corporate gig, but there’s just one catch before she lands the job: they want to meet her unimpressive husband (Bateman). Sounds like comedy gold, if you ask me! Speaking of, can we get these two to host the Oscars together? After all, award show stages are always the perfect next step in a Hollywood friendship.
[Watch The Switch on Netflix]