The story of Employee of the Month
Employee of the Month follows two ultra-competitive warehouse club employees locked in an escalating battle for supremacy. The prize? The coveted Employee of the Month title — and the chance to impress the new, impossibly attractive cashier who just started working the registers. It's a high-stakes retail rivalry that spirals into increasingly absurd scenarios, complete with elaborate pranks, workplace sabotage, and the kind of romantic tension that only mid-2000s comedies could milk for 103 minutes. What starts as a straightforward competition becomes something messier, funnier, and occasionally touching, even if you're not entirely sure how we got there.
Behind the making of Employee of the Month
Director Greg Coolidge, working alongside co-writers Don Calame and Chris Conroy, shot this film primarily at a Costco location in Albuquerque, New Mexico — a decision that gives the whole production an authentic warehouse feel, even when the humor gets completely unhinged. The cast brings genuine star power for a mid-budget comedy: Dane Cook was riding high on his stand-up fame, Jessica Simpson was in her peak tabloid era, and Dax Shepard, Andy Dick, and Efren Ramirez round out the ensemble with solid comedic chops. Lionsgate released Employee of the Month on October 6, 2006, and despite the critical drubbing it would receive, the film managed to gross $28.4 million domestically against a modest $10–12 million budget — a respectable return that proved audiences were willing to show up for this particular brand of workplace silliness. The film earned a PG-13 rating and picked up two award nominations, though the critical establishment was less forgiving: Metascore landed at 36/100, and Rotten Tomatoes gave it just 20%, a verdict that still stings if you're the type who enjoyed it back in the day.
What makes Employee of the Month stand out in retail comedy
Honestly, what's striking about this film is how committed everyone is to the bit. Cook and Shepard don't phone it in — they're genuinely trying to make you believe that winning Employee of the Month matters more than anything in the world, which is exactly the kind of absurdist energy a workplace comedy needs to land. The performances don't transcend the material, but they're game enough that you can feel the cast actually enjoying themselves on set. Jessica Simpson, meanwhile, gets the thankless role of the romantic prize, though she manages to inject some personality into what could've been a total cipher — there's a lightness to her scenes that keeps the film from becoming entirely one-note. What's less successful is the film's tonal whiplash: it wants to be both a vulgar, crude buddy comedy and a romantic-comedy-adjacent love story, and those two impulses don't always sit comfortably together. The slacker mentality that drives the first half gradually gives way to earnest character growth, which is fine in theory but feels unearned when the script hasn't bothered building actual emotional stakes. Still, there's something almost admirable about a movie this confident in its own absurdity — it doesn't apologize for being dumb, and sometimes that's exactly what you need.
Where to stream Employee of the Month online
If you're looking to revisit this 2006 comedy, Employee of the Month is currently available on Prime Video. You can check Movie OTT for the most up-to-date streaming availability across all platforms in your region, since licensing agreements shift regularly. The "Where to Watch" widget at the top of this page will show you exactly which services are carrying the film right now, so you don't have to hunt around wondering where it's landed this season.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed Employee of the Month?
Greg Coolidge directed the film and co-wrote it with Don Calame and Chris Conroy. It was his feature directorial debut, and he brought a chaotic energy to the warehouse setting that defines the movie's tone.
Q: Where was Employee of the Month filmed?
The film was shot primarily at a Costco location in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which gives the production an authentic warehouse aesthetic and helps ground the increasingly absurd comedy in a real retail environment.
Q: Is Employee of the Month based on a true story?
No, it's an original screenplay written by Coolidge, Calame, and Conroy. The plot — two coworkers competing for the title and the affection of a new employee — is fictional, though the retail-workplace setting draws on familiar comedic territory.
Q: What's the critical consensus on Employee of the Month?
Critics weren't kind: Rotten Tomatoes gave it 20%, and Metascore landed at 36/100. The film earned a 5.6/10 on IMDb from over 52,000 voters, suggesting audiences were more forgiving than professional reviewers, though it's rarely cited as a comedy classic.
Q: How much money did Employee of the Month make at the box office?
The film grossed $28.4 million domestically against a $10–12 million budget, making it a modest commercial success despite the negative critical reception — proof that not every comedy needs the critics' blessing to find an audience.
Final thoughts on Employee of the Month
Employee of the Month isn't going to change your life, and it probably won't crack anyone's list of great comedies. But there's a particular charm to mid-2000s studio comedies that don't take themselves too seriously, and this film has that in spades. It's the kind of movie you stumble across on a Saturday afternoon, watch with your brain switched off, and find yourself genuinely laughing at moments you didn't expect. If you're in the mood for something light, unpretentious, and willing to embrace workplace-comedy chaos, it's worth a stream. Just don't expect the critics to agree with you.
