This vapid, laugh-lite romp won't satisfy anyone. Except die-hard Jessica Simpson fans.
Employee of the Month (2006)
Rated: 12A
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Theatrical Release: 05-01-2007
Synopsis: For years, Zack Bradley (Dane Cook) has worked hard at not working hard at all, coasting under the radar as an ambitiously invisible box-boy at the local Super Club. Living with his grandmother, and spending his free time with his box-boy crew, Zack keeps people's expectations of him as low as... For years, Zack Bradley (Dane Cook) has worked hard at not working hard at all, coasting under the radar as an ambitiously invisible box-boy at the local Super Club. Living with his grandmother, and spending his free time with his box-boy crew, Zack keeps people's expectations of him as low as his profile. So when his kiss-up coworker Vince (Dax Shepard) earns the Employee of the Month title for the 17th time in a row, Zack couldn't care less. But when sexy cashier Amy (Jessica Simpson) joins the store's staff, and rumors being circulating that she only dates winners of this award, the stakes are instantly raised. What begins as a plan to win Amy's heart slowly morphs into a much greater challenge, with Zack's low aspirations gradually growing into earnest attempts at excellence. With the crazed Vince always in his way, Zack must prove his worth to his superiors, his friends, Amy, and himself. New director Greg Coolidge takes few risks here, but manages to deliver laughs thanks to a solid cast of comic actors including Andy Dick, Tim Bagley, Brian George, Danny Woodburn, and Efren Ramirez. Likewise, Cook gives the film a certain charm without trying too hard. Like OFFICE SPACE and THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH benefits from its banal setting. The wholesale-size proportions of the props contrast nicely with the small story being told, with Cook and his fellow actors taking full advantage of the set's comic possibilities. Though the script does not give Jessica Simpson much to do, she makes the best of her limited character. By seeming aware of the role her own sex appeal plays, she adds a little tongue-in-cheek sass to the mix, and helps the film get away with its cheeky obsession with her chest. [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Jessica Simpson, Dax Shepard, Dane Cook, Andy Dick, Tim Bagley
DVD Info
Release:
Apr 1, 2008
Blu-Ray DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 16:9
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 EX- English
- DTS HD Audio - English
- Closed Captioned - English
- Subtitles - English, Spanish - optional
Additional Release Material:
- Ad-Libs
- Audio Commentary - Dane Cook - Star, Greg Coolidge - Director
- Behind the Scenes
- Featurettes - 1. The Beauty of Bulk
- 2. The Men of Super Club
- 3. On-Set Shenanigans
- 4. At Work With Lon
- Trailers
Interactive Features:
- Interactive Menus
- Scene Selection
Reviews
The latest in a long line of lowbrow slacker comedies of the Clerks persuasion, Employee Of The Month is funnier and smarter than most of its contemporaries.
saddest thing about this unpleasant, mirthless film is that it's photographed by Anthony Richmond.
A likeable cast is underused in this cut-price guy comedy with only the occasional laugh.
Basically, in the genre of workplace-based comedies, Employee of the Month is no Office Space, but it's nowhere near as bad as, say, Waiting, either. Watchable, but entirely forgettable.
Amy is little more than a pretty face, undermining the film’s female appeal and leading one to wonder if Dukes of Hazzard eye candy Simpson is becoming a trifle typecast.
Keeps a smile on your face even though there are only a couple of actual laughs along the way.
...there's ultimately very little here to appeal to even the most die-hard Cook fanatic.
So tossed-off and muddled it'll likely bore even the blue-collar male audience at which it's aimed.
It's predictable and formulaic, with some slapstick, visual and toilet humour that may not have you falling in the aisles, but amuses in an undemanding way.
There's a great Office Space-style satire to be made about big-box stores screwing their working-poor employees, but Hollywood studios covet DVD rack space at those same stores.
There are people who think Cook is funny, but you won't find any evidence of that here.
Cook's creepy smirk is downright hypnotic. You keep staring at it, seeking to find the gears and flywheels beneath the flesh, but the harder you look, the less you see.
refuses to go beyond shallow observations and silly slapstick, making for an ordinary outing when that should not be the case
By virtue of its title alone, is it too much to expect "Employee of the Month" to be something special, perhaps a cut above your everyday comedy? Shouldn't the jokes make that extra effort, as well as the cast?
The problem lies with the bland bombshell at the center and the overall sense that the filmmakers keep missing obvious comic opportunities.
Related Forums

by: xxjoviaxx 1/20/07
Pictures
News
posted by Gitesh Pandya October 04, 2007
Following a six-week streak of R-rated films topping the charts, The Rock's family comedy The Game Plan led the box...
posted by Gitesh Pandya September 20, 2007
Jodie Foster will find herself in the middle of a catfight over the number one spot this weekend. The star of current...
posted by Gitesh Pandya October 09, 2006
Martin Scorsese scored the best opening of his career, and his first number one film in fifteen years, with the...
posted by Gitesh Pandya October 05, 2006
Movie studios are offering something for every age group over the Columbus Day holiday weekend. Mature adults will go...


Top Critic
