Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Employee of the Month Blu-ray Movie Review

A surprisingly good comedy makes for a nice Blu-ray package from Lionsgate

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 28, 2007

You’ve gotta be the QB to win employee of the month baby, you can’t be the punter.

Sometimes a movie really surprises you. Something that you thought might be great really disappoints; something that most people dislike turns out to be a guilty pleasure; something that most of the world looked at, said, "OK," and moved on turns out to be a pretty fun, engaging, and maybe even a little meaningful movie. Employee of the Month certainly falls into the latter category for me. Neither a well-loved nor a universally hated picture, I went in expecting a throwaway of a movie, the type that is watched today and forgotten tomorrow. While Employee of the Month will never win any awards or be my favorite movie, I found it enjoyable enough to be something I can throw into my player every now and then when I just need a movie to relax to and take my mind off of the more stressful things in life, like writing Blu-ray reviews (I actually really enjoy what I do).

This is a 1981 Honda. How dare you!

Zack (Dane Cook, Good Luck Chuck), is an employee of the Costco-esque "Super Club" warehouse store. He's a bitter employee, a former dot-com wannabe who lost his and his grandmother's life savings in a failed internet venture. He's on the lowest rung of the ladder at Super Club--he's a box boy. Rather than actually working, he spends most of his time hanging out with his friends in a nifty little alcove they have made high up on the shelves between pallets full of value-sized goods, complete with a sofa and a card table. Vince (Dax Shepard, Idiocracy) is the reigning employee of the month. He's held that distinction for 17 months in a row, and one more month with the honor will earn him a brand new Chevy Malibu, not to mention being on the fast track for manager. Vince is a shoe-in for the prize. He's the fastest checker in the southwest and he has a unique ability to entertain while checking people out, turning his checkout lane into a fun, circus-like atmosphere. The enthusiastic Vince is just the kind of guy Zack hates. He goes so far as to deface Vince's "Employee of the Month" placard, which Vince immediately replaces with a fresh picture of himself.

Both their worlds are turned upside down when a new checker, Amy (Jessica Simpsson, The Dukes of Hazzard), joins the team. Both Zack and Vince are immediately attracted to her and fight to outdo one another to impress her. Zack discovers that Amy has a fondness for associates named employee of the month, and he sets out to turn his work life around and is determined to beat out Vince for the honor so as to impress Amy. Zack begins to arrive at work on time and becomes friendlier to customers, a move that pays off when an elderly customer who has just purchased a casket for her still-living husband makes a point to mention his good work to his boss, Mr. Gary (Tim Bagley, Accepted). What ensues is an amusing rivalry between the two employees that will change them so much that they begin to lose the respect of their friends as winning the award becomes their one and only goal, forgetting about the importance of their respective friendships with their co-workers.

Greg Coolidge's Employee of the Month turned out to be quite the little comedy that could. I expected a typical raunchy, stupid, and meaningless film, but what I saw was a fresh and unique comedy that thoroughly entertained me from beginning to end. Both Dax Shepard and Dane Cook perform their roles well and the rivalry between the two is believable and engaging. It's over the top, but nothing they do to one another seemed out of the realm of possibility. On top of the laughs, there's also a couple of decent lessons to be learned here: don't take everything at face value and motivate yourself for all the right reasons. Both Zack and Vince see their performance at work and their chances with Amy wane as they delve deeper into their tit-for-tat rivalry throughout the picture. They both end up learning valuable lessons about the meaning of hard work and friendship, and it's not overly corny or preachy. Employee of the Month manages to walk this fine line, entertaining while teaching a few life lessons along the way.

Employee of the Month Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lionsgate presents Employee of the Month in 1080p high definition whilst preserving its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This is a very decent transfer that has some noise here and there, but it has a very film-like look about it. The look of this movie instantly brought back memories of how I remember movies looking in the theater as a youngster. It had a very natural, film-like look about it that I liked very much. It doesn't sparkle or shine like some of the flashier releases out there, but it looks very pleasing and natural. There was no color bleeding and flesh tones appeared accurate. Colors, especially the predominant blue of the store uniforms, looked great all around. This is simply a nice, pleasant looking transfer. This isn't going to blow your socks off, but I really liked the look of the movie a great deal.

Employee of the Month Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with many Lionsgate titles, Employee of the Month contains both DTS HD and DD 5.1 EX audio tracks. It offers room filling music, but this is mostly a dialogue driven film and therefore is very front heavy. Dialogue fares just fine; there is never a problem making out what is going on. I especially enjoyed The Natural-esque music featured during the softball game sequence. There is nothing special at all about this track, but that doesn't make it bad. It's pretty lifeless, but then again there is not much need for an extravagant track here. It's a dialogue driven comedy and it performs admirably enough.

Employee of the Month Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

First, we have two audio commentaries. The first is a track featuring director Greg Coolidge and actor Dane Cook. It seems as if they are watching the film soon after production wrapped up, and they have a lot of fun watching and reminiscing about making this movie. They discuss friends and family that appeared in the film, anecdotes from the set, and working with the various actors. There is some dead air here and there, but the duo more than make up for it with a fun and informative track. The second is a solo effort by director Greg Coolidge. He discusses working with Lionsgate Films, re-writing the original script, filming at a Costco in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and casting. This too is a fun track and Coolidge manages to distinguish this track from the other by not rehashing everything that was said in the first go-round.

Four deleted scenes are available. They are all presented in 1080p and range in length form 37 seconds to over three minutes. Four versions of one deleted scene, Dirty Electricity, are included. I enjoyed watching all of them, especially the alternate opening. Other features included a blooper reel (1080p, 5:29), four Ad-Libs (1080p, 6:38 total length), At Work With Lon (1080p, 2:13), On Set Shenanigans (1080p, 4:41), The Beauty of Bulk, (1080p, 4:20) (a fun mock promotional piece for Super Club featuring the cast playing their roles from the movie), and Men of Super Club (1080p, 9:34) (mock interviews of the characters discussing their role in the store). These are some really fun and unique little supplements and it's great that Lionsgate has presented them all in 1080p high definition.

Employee of the Month Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Employee of the Month is a fun little movie. Rather than being the vulgar, over-the-top comedy I went in expecting, it's actually a halfway decent rivalry movie that I found thoroughly entertaining. I especially enjoyed the ending that is reminiscent of the old TV game show Supermarket Sweep, a show my dad and I often watched together years ago. Performances are fine all around, and I am eager to see what director Greg Coolidge has in store for us next. This Blu-ray disc looks and sounds just fine, and the supplements are better than average, and they are all in high-definition to boot. Employee of the Month receives an easy and enthusiastic recommendation.