Review of Employee of the Month (2004) by Bernard L — 31 Jul 2011

I generally like Dane Cook as an actor and I liked his early comedy a lot. So I was expecting to like the movie going in, and I was not too disappointed.

The plot is fun, and the jokes are funny and unforced. There is not much to say other than it was all well done. The pace is sharp and you want the hero to prevail.

Cook was funny, if not understated at times. But the supporting cast is where this movie really shines. Efren Ramirez and Dax Shepard are hysterical as the antagonistic duo, and Zack's (Cook) supporting buddies are all funny and well cast.

The worst part of the movie was without a doubt Jessica Simpson. She did not look especially fetching with her bad roots and frozen face, and she at least usually looks good so that is something I didn't expect. But her acting was horrible for most of the movie. He face is expressionless and boring, and she never seems comfortable in the role.

The exceptions are a couple one-on-one scenes with Cook where the two seem to pull off some decent chemistry. Simpson's personality comes through a couple times, but that only makes you want to see it more in the movie and it just is not there. She really seems forced into the role, and the role was pivotal because she was the sole original motivation for Cook's character. But to be honest it is hard to imagine why he bothers, she is so "take-it-or-leave-it" in her approach that you come away saying the same thing about her, and ultimately the entire movie.

That is kind of sad, because the movie is a female lead away from being a classic. Had Simpson's role been played by almost anyone else the movie would have been that much better. Right away someone like Julie Stiles comes to mind, as she would have brought a lot more depth to the role. But even an relative unknown probably could have made the grade better than Simpson.

It it worth watching, as I said the rest of the cast is just about perfect and the acting is spot on and funny. It is a good movie. It is just kind of sad that Simpson was so weak in her role because the movie should have been better then good, it should have been great.