Employee of the Month

Starring: Dane Cook, Jessica Simpson, Dax Shepherd, Andy Dick, Harland Williams
Directed by: Greg Coolidge
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Box Office: $
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A slacker bagboy (Dane Cook) suddenly has a change of heart when a new employee (Jessica Simpson) with a thing for the employee of the month joins his store. However, first, he needs to knock off the reigning Employee of the Month (Dax Shepherd).

Review:

Tim: Did anybody actually think this movie was going to be good? I can’t believe anyone did. To no surprise to anyone, it isn’t very good at all. Now, to be fair, I actually do like the idea of two employees at a store competing for the employee of the month award. Call me crazy, but that sounds like a fun movie. At times, in the midst of the competition, it actually is pretty fun. However, there is just too much weighing this movie down.

Dane Cook (has he made a single incredibly funny movie?) is decent as our hero. He has enough everyman qualities to allow us to relate and root for him. The casting here was good. Dax Shepherd is also fairly effective as Cook’s nemesis and the reigning employee of the month. He balances silliness with arrogance well, and except for a few moments sprinkled throughout the movie, is generally a good antagonist. Jessica Simpson is stop-the-show terrible. As crazy as it sounds, I found her far more believable as Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard than as “Amy the new cashier.” She was just awful in the movie, and if there wasn’t enough doubt about her future career in the movies, there should be now. The supporting cast is actually fairly enjoyable, and Andy Dick provides perhaps his least annoying performance yet (which is saying something for this terribly unfunny man).

For a while, we are amused by Cook and Shepherd’s antics to top each other and win Simpson’s heart. However, this quickly becomes old, and by the film’s end, it devolves into utter silliness. The movie just flames out at the end, concluding without much punch or satisfaction. For a while it felt like this might be something worthwhile, but it ultimately crashes into a sea of clichés. You can probably find worse movies if you look, but this film isn’t very funny at all (although I do love the “This is an ’81 Honda. How dare you!” line).

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 4



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Good Luck Chuck, Idiocracy