An attempt to carve out "Office Space" in a warehouse store setting, Greg Coolidge's "Employee of the Month" falls short
of that inspired Mike Judge mark but manages to retain a certain goofy appeal thanks to the stand-up efforts of its comically adept cast members.It would certainly seem to be a ripe, untapped environment for laugh-getting, but the picture -- following the ruthless rivalry between a cocky
cashier and a laid-back boxboy for those title honors -- takes a little while to find its groove. Once it does, the wry, character-driven humor picks up enough momentum to carry it through to the checkout desk.Given that comedies tend to be in short supply this time of the season as studios start unloading all the awards bait, the Lionsgate release could ring up some respectable receipts over the Columbus Day weekend. Groundlings grad Dax Shepard is on the money as Vince Downey, the insufferably smug SuperClub head cashier. It would seem as if his 18th consecutive employee of the month award -- which comes with a "newish" car -- was a done deal, but perennial slacker Zack Bradley (affable stand-up comic Dane Cook) is determined to stop him in his slickly choreographed tracks.Their rivalry heats up with the arrival of Amy (a self-conscious Jessica Simpson), the sweet new cashier who has a bit of a reputation for sleeping with employees of the month.But even as Zack looks as if he just might have what it takes to see his picture hanging on the staff lounge wall of fame, he is forced to consider what effect his take-no-prisoners behavior is starting to have on those who used to watch his back.While first-time feature director Coolidge -- who receives screenplay credit along with writers Dan Calame & Chris Conroy -- tries too hard for irreverence, there's a fast and loose, lightly ad-libbed dynamic between nice guy Cook and fastidious, preening Shepard that generates genuine laughs.Even better is the loopy rapport between Shepard and his dim but devoted lackey, Jorge (a.ka. Efren Ramirez, a.k.a. Pedro from "Napoleon Dynamite"), while Tim Bagley wears the short sleeves convincingly as the club store's gung-ho manager Glen Gary, who has an older brother called Glen Ross (Danny Woodburn). The
production was shot extensively in a barely disguised Costco in Albuquerque, N.M., with all that washed-out, bright lighting to prove it. Even though the Costco name has been thoughtfully covered up on all the shopping carts, somehow product placement allowed for the Kirkland house brand to be prominently displayed throughout the store.Production values are cost-effective, though somehow one suspects all that low-cut, form-fitting wardrobe donned by Ms. Simpson wouldn't pass any store clothing policy approval -- unless, say, Hooters were to get into the warehouse game.