Comedian Dane Cook is stepping off the stage and on to the big screen for his first feature film debut in “Employee of the Month.”
Cook plays Zack, a box boy for Super Club who lives with his grandmother and hangs out with his equally lazy co-workers. Andy Dick plays Lon, an eye technician who can’t see well, which gets him in quite a bit of trouble throughout the film. Also on the cast are Russell, played by comedian Harland Williams, and Iqbal, played by Brian George. The friendship of these characters seems to be the glue holding the film together.
Zack’s rival is Vince, played by Dax Shepard (known from his stints on the MTV show Punk’d), who is the head cashier and is known to be the fastest checker at Super Club, and has set the record for being Employee of the Month for 17 months straight. Vince has a hilarious and loyal wingman Jorge (played by Efren Ramirez, better known as Pedro from the popular movie “Napoleon Dynamite”). This unlikely pair has a very close relationship and you can’t help but laugh at even the corniest moments between them.
Zack and Vince haven’t always liked each other, and would exchange crude middle school banter with each other. However, things really start heating up when a new cashier, Amy, played by Jessica Simpson, walks into the store creating a bigger war between them, especially when Zack finds out she only dates the Employee of the Month.
Seeing that Amy is interested in Vince already, Zack’s goal is to become employee of the month and win her over. The battle to win Amy’s affection, along with the title of Employee of the Month, begins.
The silliness and quirkiness of the film is what makes it funny. In some scenes it worked, and some scenes they totally missed. This movie obviously won’t win an Academy Award, but it will make you laugh. It’s your basic cheese-ball comedy in the most unlikely place which makes it different and entertaining. If you’re a Dane Cook fan you’ll appreciate the movie, but if you’re looking for a deep movie that’ll make you think after, this isn’t the movie for you. If you’re bored and want something to do on a Friday night, it’s worth the outrageously overpriced fee of admission.
