Employee of the Month (2004)

"Employee of the Month" is about a guy whose day spirals from bad to worse when he gets fired from his dream job at the bank and is dumped by his fiancée Sara. David's best friend Jack ... See full summary »

Director:

Mitch Rouse

Writers:

Mitch Rouse, Jay Leggett

Stars:

Matt Dillon, Steve Zahn, Christina Applegate

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Dillon	...	David Walsh
Steve Zahn	...	Jack
Christina Applegate	...	Sara Goodwin
Andrea Bendewald	...	Wendy
Jay Leggett	...	Dorff
David Pasquesi	...	Kyle Lacopa
Peter Jason	...	Bill Gartin
Paul Dooley	...	Reverend Ben Goodwin
Noel Gugliemi	...	Chicken (as Noel Guglielmi)
Dave Foley	...	Eric
Renee Albert	...	Martha
Enrique Almeida	...	Ruben
Mark Beltzman	...	Hank
Brian Blondell	...	Paulo, the Waiter
John Timothy Botka	...	Yuppie

Storyline

"Employee of the Month" is about a guy whose day spirals from bad to worse when he gets fired from his dream job at the bank and is dumped by his fiancée Sara. David's best friend Jack 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.

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Plot Keywords:

hare krishna | bank | engagement | hooker | bank robbery | 

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Taglines:

Things are not always what they seem.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, sexuality and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Akire büszkék vagyunk! - A hónap dolgozója

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bob Yari Productions,Bull's Eye Entertainment,DEJ Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "founding grandfather" depicted in the giant oil painting in the bank president's office (that David Walsh comments on and, later, urinates on) is Del Close, a beloved Second City theater icon who died in 1999. Close is also thanked in the credits.

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Goofs

The picture David's boss turns down while he is firing him pops back up before the end of the scene.

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Quotes

David Walsh: Everything I am is an illusion.

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Crazy Credits

Scenes explaining various plot gaps are shown as credits roll.

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Connections

References Deliverance (1972)

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Soundtracks

The Lunch Function
Written by Paul Cassella and Austin Hall
Published by Shabloo Music
Performed by 8th Grade
Courtesy of GrooveGrass Recordings

User Reviews

The Perfect Bad Day – A Masterpiece of Black Comedy

David Walsh (Matt Dillon) has a perfect life: a gorgeous fiancée, Sarah Goodwin (Christina Applegate); a beautiful house; a fancy car; a job of manager in a bank. On the day he expects to be elected "The Employee of the Month", he is fired; Sarah finds that he had an affair with his colleague Wendy (Andrea Bendwald) and calls off their engagement; and a hooker sent by his friend Jack (Steve Zahn) to stay with him in a motel steals his car. On the next day, in his farewell, there is a heist in the bank and he is abducted. But his fate before reaching Nirvana has not finished yet.

While watching "Employee of the Month", I was feeling the story very unpleasant, mostly because of the disgusting character of Jack, and also because of the jinx of David. But suddenly, the story twists with an outrageous and surprising plot point, becoming the perfect bad day of David a masterpiece of black comedy. When I first saw Matt Dillon partially burnt in the beginning of the movie, I believed the actor had had some accident, and only later it was disclosed that the scars were part of his character. The unknown Andrea Bendwald is really a very beautiful woman and has an important participation in the conclusion of the story, inclusive along the credits. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Dia Perfeito" ("The Perfect Day")