Employee Of The Month Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Congratulations, you're fired!
Things are not always what they seem.
"Employee of the Month" is about a guy (Matt Dillon) whose day spirals from bad to worse when he gets fired from his dream job at the bank and is dumped by his fiancee Sara (Applegate). David's best friend Jack (Zahn) tries to convince him it's for the best, but the opposite occurs when bank robberies and millions of dollars become part of his day from hell.
| Steve Zahn | Jack |
| Matt Dillon | David Walsh |
| Christina Applegate | Sara Goodwin |
| Peter Jason | Bill Gartin |
| Andrea Bendewald | Wendy |
| Fiona Gubelmann | |
| Dave Foley | Eric |
| Jay Leggett | Dorff |
| David Pasquesi | Kyle Lacopa |
| Paul Dooley | Reverend Ben Goodwin |
| Noel Gugliemi | Chicken |
| Renee Albert | Martha |
| Enrique Almeida | Ruben |
| Mark Beltzman | Hank |
| Brian Blondell | Paulo, the Waiter |
| John Timothy Botka | Yuppie |
| Mitch Rouse |
6.10 out of 10 (2972 votes)
Visitor Reviews
A termination, a break-up and a plot that tries to trick the viewer
posted on 12 Aug 2009This film portrays a few days in the life of David Walsh (Matt Dillon). Getting ready for a big performance review at the bank he works at, one where he expects an advancement, he learns that the Bank's manager thinks his work habits are well below professional and is officially terminated.An interesting spiral of events occurs from that point. His fiancée (Christine Applegate) discovers that he has been sleeping with her best friend. A great scene occurs where this information is revealed to the viewer. Picture this: Dillon arrives "late" to a dinner meeting with his fiancée and her parents. She reads a letter regarding her concerns with his lack of faithfulness. Dillon does a great job showing his discomfort with the content and tone of the letter. The plot continues to spiral, taking interesting turns, some surprising, some not.Overall, I found the movie to be okay. If I did recommend it to a friend, it would not be for the movie as a whole, but for some of the particular scenes. In certain scenes, Steve Zahn, Matt Dillon and Christine Applegate give great performances. I found myself laughing and wondering what was going to happen next. But I sensed that the plot was a bit rushed and did not connect the various events together that well. This is why I gave it a 5/10. Regardless of the low grade, check it out for some great scenes and a good soundtrack.
Absolutely perfect
posted on 15 Jul 2009One of my all time favorite movies ever. I've watched it 3 or 4 times this summer alone. The cast is perfect, and the mix of action, comedy, suspense, drama, etc. is amazing. Steve Zahn is brilliant. Everyone time he shows up in the movie, laughs happen. He is hilarious throughout the entire movie. His humor is completely off the wall, and he almost doesn't even fit into the movie at all, yet fits perfectly. Matt Dillon is so laid back and cool throughout most of the movie, and you almost forget that he doesn't really have a scar in the real life until half way through the movie. The rest of the cast do their jobs perfectly. The entire movie takes a turn equal to Fight Club in my eyes. Even my friend who figures out EVERY movie 30 minutes in, never saw that coming. Then it turns on you again, then you think you know whats going to happen next. Then it doesn't happen, and then it does. Every single performance is right on, the music is perfect, and the miscellaneous humor is spot on. I think the best part, is that almost everything about the movie is given to you up front, you just have absolutely no idea.
No bonus for this "Employee"
posted on 14 May 2009This could've been an intriguing little heist caper. Instead, the writer doesn't exactly know how to tell his story without reverting to the easy way out - voice-over narration.The actors all seem to be having a good time and the story twists and turns and always tries to keep us guessing. Though, I figured out many of the manipulations. One crucial twist, however, comes out of nowhere and pleasantly surprises.The actors do good work given the limitations of the story. Steve Zahn excels in roles such as the one he plays here. Though it would be nice to see this talented performer play someone different.Given the cast involved, this could have been a much tighter, more enjoyable film.One big complaint: Whoever designed the DVD cover is an idiot. Why would they want to reveal a critical plot point before we have a chance to watch the movie? A final point: For the closing credits, director Mitch Rouse stole an idea done in another twisty, sexy thriller starring Matt Dillon - "Wild Things" (1998).
Funnish, but it outsmarts itself in the end. - 6 of 10
posted on 26 Apr 2009I had a good time watching the film and I appreciate the turns very much, but the music had me playing with the volume constantly. First straining for the voices and then cringing from the beating melodies, it is a poor audio mix. This, in no way, diminishes the plot's appealing complexity or the actors' delivery of it. That was all fine work.The journey through the film is an engaging ride. This movie fails in the myriads of twists in the end. I was spinning around at every one. All right, some I predicted and some I did not, but I suppose that is irrelevant. Perhaps it is also irrelevant that I was never fully satisfied with _any_ of the twists given. I am left wanting here and I do not wish to be.Then everything is explained in an overly much fashion. Did we really need to know so much now without knowing enough before? Leave us wanting instead here, eh? I did not feel a connection with the side characters in this film. They should've been brought more fully to life to make it work better here. Then maybe we'd have something (for sure we'd have a longer movie!). Maybe much of this film found its way to the editing room floor. I do not know, but it is missing something.Overall, this movie is worth watching, but it won't get top billing in my deeveedee collection. I can go no higher than 6 of 10.
It's all an illusion, dark comedy/drama with plot twists
posted on 07 Mar 2009David Walsh (Matt Dillon) is a banking officer, who's life seems to go terribly wrong when his job review sandbags him and instead of being made employee of the month, he's fired. To make matters worst after work his fiancée, Sara Goodwin (Christina Applegate) confronts him with his infidelity, ends their relationship and tosses him out on the street. How could things get any worse (or better)? His friend Jack seems to think things are finally moving in the right direction, all David needs now is a night of drinking, a handgun, and he'll be ready for some payback, unless a bank robbery interferes with his plans.The acting is very good, and in some scenes great, with Steve Zahn (Jack) stealing most of the scenes he's in. Peter Jason is also outstanding as Mr. Gartin the tough Bank VP. The humour is very black, and the dialog well written. From the opening scene and repeatedly during the film, the idea that life is an illusion is mentioned. But it's not until several unforeseen plot twists later that the viewer realizes that two separate plots have been simultaneously unfolding, or maybe not.If you like any of the cast, dark humour, good acting, a plot with twists and turns, then this is a little gem you should try out.
Are we having fun yet?
posted on 25 Feb 2009You know what they say about opinions, so I'll spare stating the obvious. Nevertheless, in this viewer's stinky opinion this movie is Hollywood at its narcissistic, mindless best (or worst, perhaps). The acting is so-so, the plot is utterly contrived and the script is as full of holes as many of the victims in the film. It appears to be a serious attempt at a "Pulp Fiction" knock-off of sorts, and it failed. Still, Christina Applegate is actually turning into a pretty decent actress in spite of her air-head history on "Married with Children". She delivers a believable performance and shows some range. But, that's not near enough to save this forgettable film. It bounces between trying to be a dark comedy and a drama. It succeeds at neither. If you like this genre, please check out really good ones like USUAL SUSPECTS or FARGO. Overall, this picture is a waste of time and money, both for those who made it and those who end up watching it.
Too many twists remove the shock element.
posted on 01 Feb 2009The film has its moments. It's got a rather nice plot. It's first-person commentary is interesting. Matt Dillon and Christina Applegate have both done quite well. The sequence before the bank robbery was very stylish and funny. It's sound editing is perhaps below average but the music is okay.It's got endless plot twists in the end. After the first major twist I said to myself "Well, that's clever..." and after the second I was like "Wow! never saw this coming" and the twists continued on to a point where I got rather irritated. Plot twists are supposed to offer surprise elements in a story to see it from an entirely different point of view. But in this film, surprise is stripped off.
All too similar to another Matt Dillon film
posted on 14 Jan 2009Seen Wild Things? If you have unfortunately you'll know at some point not to believe or trust anyone in this one. At that point every plot twist meant to surprise you won't really. I checked the spoiler box because just mentioning the title of that great film would ruin what little this film has going for it.Also this one has far less interesting characters (Steve Zahn is particularly irritating with his endless Charles Mason impression) and instead of peering into the lives of upper class and lower classes of steamy Florida, we hang out with some of the least interesting people of exotic Los Angeles.It even copied the idea of throwing in extra explanatory scenes during the closing credits. It only made me appreciate Wild Things more.
Below average, confused film-making
posted on 05 Dec 2008Somewhere along the line, something went horribly wrong in the writing and/or making of this film. The film seems to have bi-polar disorder, switching from a happy violence, almost farcical comedy to heavy drama between (or sometimes even within) scenes. The dramatic elements were generally the most watchable parts of the movie -- at points we even feel some sympathy for the main character's plight. The comedic elements, on the other hand, seemed out of place, and way too far over the top to be actually funny, generally relying on something to be funny so long as it is shocking. Note to Hollywood: shock tactics only go so far. At some point you have to insert something which is actually funny outside of just being disgusting.As far as acting goes, most of it was BAD. Matt Dillon does his usual impression of a robot, backed up by Steve Zahn playing a completely unsympathetic manic asshole. The rest of the supporting cast is generally better than those two, but no performances stand out enough to warrant discussion.Then come the obligatory surprise endings. Yes, endings plural. I remember being willing to forgive the movie for its sins and say that I liked it and found it reasonably entertaining and thoughtful (maybe as high as 7 stars), but then we go to surprise ending number one. Then there's another, and another, until nothing could be less surprising than another surprise ending. Any good faith the movie accumulated through some of its more compelling elements is totally squandered in the last 20 minutes as we are forced to watch it plod through a series of misguided attempts to catch us off balance.
brilliant just brilliant
posted on 28 Oct 2008wow i must say that this film was superb. excellent plot. brilliant twists. Steve Zahn played his part brilliantly as did Matt Dillon as an actor and narrator. it really is odd that i hadn't heard of this movie at all because the whole thing was completely unexpected and had a sense of humour about itself, almost being a kind of self-parody.at first i thought the whole thing was predictable but then the craziest things kept happening and it left me wanting more.i wont give away any of the storyline because that is what makes this movie great.i will however say that you should look out for the confrontation Matt Dillon has with his boss its funny as hell.all in all its a movie i would recommend anybody watch
You need a weird sense of humor
posted on 16 Oct 2008I was on the way to give this movie a 7 or 8, and then the writer went twist-crazy at the end. This reminded me a bit of Fight Club, in that the twisting went too far for credibility to survive. In this case, some of the earlier scenes just don't make sense after the plot is revealed at the end. But the film had some interesting moments, like the reading of the letter at dinner by Applegate - that was funny. And as usual, Steve Zahn does a First Class job of playing the quirky wacko. Zahn must be the first person a director thinks of when he sees this kind of part - Jack Black second. So it lost about two points in the last 5 minutes - I gave it a 6.
Entertaining, but don't expect to bust a gut laughing.
posted on 20 Jun 2008I found this movie to be very watchable and entertaining, but certainly wouldn't bill it as a comedy, and I don't think that's how it was intended. Parts are mildly amusing, but there's more suspense and drama than anything else.The ending contains some twists and turns that you probably won't see coming, but won't be completely surprised at either. Don't immediately turn it off at what you believe to be the end, or you'll miss some of the missing pieces.Some users have commented about the level of violence in this film, but I can't recall any particularly gruesome scenes. Perhaps I've been conditioned by the likes of films such as "Irreversible" and "Goodfellas".Anyway, I think you'll find this a worthwhile rental. If not, please blame one of the other positive reviews, as I have a very delicate psyche.Bill
"Wild Things" anyone?
posted on 23 Apr 2008Dillon seems to love this kind of movies. As a reward he gets to die in every one of them.The first one ("Wild Things") was fun. This one is, well, secondary.The biggest difference is - nobody gets the prize. In this regard it's closer to "More Dogs Than Bones".Christina Applegate doesn't seem to be a good actress. She tends to overplay almoust every episode. "Wendy" is just as not good, to say politely. Steve Zahn is not funny at what he is trying to do - bring some elements of comedy into this disaster. Yet a lot of movie is wasted on his antics. Looting the corpses - is that funny? Goes on for almoust 10 minutes. Matt Dillon is actually good, but it's not enough to save this movie. Don't watch it, unless you have no choice.
WIldthings all over again!
posted on 16 Mar 2008I really enjoyed this movie, although initially I was thinking, "What am I doing watching this?" Certainly had some funny moments, but I don't know that I'd have marketed it as a comedy.It's a bit like Wildthings (another movie featuring Matt Dillon) with all the twists and turns that get revealed and certainly doesn't play out the way you think or suspect it will.In terms of the characters and actors- Matt Dillon- played his character well. As I said though, it was very much along the lines of Wildthings in terms of concept.Steve Zahn- didn't recognize him at first! By the end of the movie, he was really annoying me! It needed a character to do the things he did for the plot, but did it have to be such an annoying character? Christina Applegate- another one I didn't recognize. Played her character really well. Just can't get the Married With Children image out of my mind! Andrea Bendewald- maybe I was distracted by her good looks, but I didn't initially pick up on where she fitted into the plot. All was revealed though! (You'll need to watch the movie) David Pasquesi- I'm sure every workplace has an employee like this! Gees he deserved what he had coming....!
The stinker the publishing house forgot to flush
posted on 17 Feb 2008I have seen more movies than I can count and this one has got to been one of the worst. It maybe ties with "They" and "Birth." You might even be able get someone who has seen this before to believe that a fired employee at the publishing firm pressed this on his last day as a middle finger to his boss. To begin with, imagine watching a film in which the two main characters are blatant rip off's of other actor's characters. One ripped off Jack Black while the other ripped off the guy from Office Space with terrible results. Even worse, these personalities are then put into full effect during the worst possible moments. You may think you can shrug this off, but you don't even understand. I still don't even understand how someone could botch something so badly... but I guarantee to you that it was done. You can't even laugh at how bad these rip-offs are as if they were some sort of bad horror movie. They are far worse.Moving on. Despite the fact that everything adds up in the end, all the events leading up to the end are way too random to have soley the ending redeem it. But the ending is probably the reason it was published. If maybe the directing was a bit better the director could have left little hints during each scene and tied them all together a little but instead you have just a mess of randomly generated scenes that add up in the end. Of course I don't want to give this genius ending away to you, but the reason I didn't give this two stars based on the ending is because the director got too carried away with the finale.Do not see this for yourself, and if you are a hardcore movie renter and happen to rent it, I guarantee your friends will not appreciate this movie. They will probably leave your house long before they get a chance to see the ending. I will also like to inform you that although the ending is decent, there is no reason to rent this movie just to see the ending. The only makes it so you don't burn your house down in rage. Instead you just feel bad and somewhat disgusted that you wasted your time on such trash.
Moral of the story (spoiler)
posted on 09 Feb 2008The moral of this story seems to be life sucks, everyone is scum, and nobody ever succeeds, I mean I enjoy dark humor as much as the next guy however they didn't seem know what genre they wanted this movie to be and with so many bad turns I was "dizzy" {lol} by the end.P.S. While we're on the subject i read a that the plot had no holes but during the robbery doesn't Dillon's character shoot one of the robbers who was that and what happens to him? (you can say it was the Latin guy but if they left the corpse there the police would most definitely track them down i mean a guy like that is bound to have a track record).
I'm not saying this movie is bad you just got to see them both
posted on 04 Jan 2008When I was watching this movie another movie which has Matt Dillion in it came to mind. It was close to the end when I noticed the similarities this movie had to the 1998 movie Wild Things. The plot to each of these movies seems a lot alike. I am not say this movie was bad it just seemed that it was like the other movie. The way it ended was like the other. If you watched this one and have not seen the other you should watch it and see what you think. I think I would have to say that this one was better. For the most part because it had Steve Zahn in it. He was the reason I watched it in the first place you know anything with him in it is going have some laughs. Anyway, what to you think does it seem similar to Wild Things?
"I got a plan, and it's just as good as God's…"
posted on 31 Dec 2007I have to admit that after about 20 minutes of this movie I was this close to just turning it off and moving on to The Grudge, which I watched right afterwards. Man, I'm glad I didn't, though, because this movie goes from pretty boring to not so bad to pretty good to VERY good. It's odd that this film has been so completely overlooked by critics and denounced by IMDb reviewers, who either understood how well-made this movie is (especially the script, which is brilliant) or it went completely over their heads and they couldn't wait to log on and berate the film as a total failure. One reviewer calls the movie "the dregs," but then again this genius also gave Memento (probably one of the three best films released in 2000) a vote of 3/10, so utter cluelessness coming from this person is hardly lightning out of a clear sky for unexpectedness. Another user gave it a lukewarm response, but also called Lost In Translation a real yawner, American History X "waaaaaaaay overrated," A.I. "the most boring movie I've ever slept through," and the absolutely ridiculous 2003 Texas Chainsaw remake "one of the better slasher flicks" (!!). Now, I hesitate to call this last user clueless, because he really seems like a nice guy (I'm sure he's a good father as well), but his list of reviews betrays the fact that he may be wired completely backwards when it comes to movies. The Texas Chainsaw remake better than A.I., Lost in Translation, and American History X?? PLEASE. Now, I normally don't go on this much about what other people have to say about any given movie. Notice that I'm not getting into the two external reviews posted for the film (Scott Weinberg and Movie House Commentary, at the time of this writing), which is amazing because they are both so completely wrong that it's difficult not to elaborate on my incredulous disbelief. It's sad that when a movie comes along that is actually well-written, so many people can't resist comparing it to a similar film that came out previously, completely ignoring the new film's good qualities and simply writing it off as a rip-off. This happened a lot with the wonderful comedy Runaway Bride, about which so many people immediately said things like "You know, I've seen this movie before...When it was called Pretty Woman" like it just absolutely must make them the cleverest person on earth. Personally, when I see a movie that looks stupid but turns out to be a very well-made thriller (like Wild Things), I don't generally complain when a similar movie comes along, as long as it is also well-made and stands on its own, and Employee of the Month certainly does that. There are scenes in the movie that I thoroughly disliked, such as some stupid sex jokes, too much profanity, and anything involving dead people and jewelry, but Steve Zahn is great in his role, Matt Dillon gives a wonderful performance in a well-written character, and the plot twists start small and then get faster and faster and by the time they're done you're halfway through the end credits. People are really quick to criticize the twists in this movie. The twists are either too predictable or too unpredictable or there are too many of them or they're dumb or some other such nonsense. When the twists first started I was impressed by where the movie was going, because I thought it was going to be something completely different, but by the last one the movie had made very clear that many of the twists were done with tongue firmly in cheek, that you were meant to have a good time. This movie is all in good fun, and while it slips up by getting a little too vulgar for its own good from time to time, it most definitely deserves to be compared to Office Space, because it is certainly one of the great dark comedies.
Very good and surprising movie
posted on 29 Nov 2007I found this movie to be very intriguing and engaging. The story about a man whose seemingly perfect life is turned upside down in one day had my attention from the beginning. The more the story developed (especially the conversation between David and the prostitute in the motel room) the more I began to feel for the main character. I found myself feeling sorry for what he went through and pulling for him to turn it around only to discover that it was all a stunt, a "cover job" if you will.The surprising plot at the end of the movie is unexpected and is sure to raise some eyebrows on how the movie ends. Jack, although vulgar and offensive, is an amazing character and Steve Zahn did a wonderful performance portraying him.
I sure would hate it if I were him...
posted on 28 Aug 2009Recap: David Walsh has it all. A big nice house, a nice car, a cute girlfriend that he is about to marry, and a good job at a bank. Besides, he makes an effort to be nice to everybody and so, he is liked by most at his job. And now he has soon worked there two years, and his benefits will kick in. He is called in to his boss for the yearly review, and is fired. His wife to be then finds panties in his pocket (from his lover - yeah he had a lover too - in fact, she was supposed to be the maid of honor at the wedding), so he is dumped, in front of her parents, and kicked out of the house. Understandable he is a little depressed. His low-life friend tries to support him as good as he can, which means sending a hooker to his motel room. The hooker then steals the car. Now, depressed and left with nothing, he is about to make his own future...Comments: As a drama, actually it works very well. It is kind of light-hearted, sure, but it is definitely not a comedy. Right up to the end that is. Then some really surprising twists are rushed at us, and yes, it is a little funny. But mostly surprising. But I must say, I didn't laugh once, and that isn't good for the comedy part. But, I wasn't bored out of my mind either. I felt curious about what disaster would strike next.The cast is good but Matt Dillon impressed me with his performance. And Steve Zahn was good in a weird kind of way. Otherwise, this will be a movie I will forget soon...4/10