Employee of the Month (2004)

Like any movie costarring Steve Zahn or made in the spirit of the Coen brothers, it seems like people either love this film or hate it. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. First I was surprised to find this movie on the discount table at Blockbuster. Later I was surprised to learn there are two movies with the same name made two years apart and this was the other one. While viewing this movie, I was surprised to find that Matt Dillon is a better actor than his titles which I've previously seen (There's Something About Mary, In & Out, One Night at McCool's) would suggest. (He was superb in Crash.) This movie is full of inventive plot twists and pleasant touches--a true pleasure to watch. Employee of the Month is something of a blend of Matchstick Men, U Turn, Bringing Out the Dead, and Crash. The ensemble cast is great individually and together, the editing is kinetic without going overboard, and the final plot twist will surprise you if you don't look at the fourth scene shot on the back of the DVD case. 4.5 stars.