Employee of the Month

I must say that everything before the finale is rather boring. The finale, however, has some balls. Imagine that something happens in a certain way. Then you find out something that turns it completely upside down, only to discover ten minutes later that the truth is yet different and everything is far worse than the first and second time. Not to mention the movie also has a third and fourth times, so it all gets so confusing that I was left gaping at the screen in the end. (07/23/2013)

The first few minutes of the film pretend to be a dark comedy about "how one unlucky day ruins a successful career." Then, for several dozen minutes, the film falls into long boring dialogues and the self-pity of the main character, only to have a crucial and, I must say, unexpected twist twenty minutes before the end, which redirects Rouse's film into a completely different genre, increases the pace sharply, and raises the overall level, partly because in the light of that twist, the viewer must reassess the previous events and thus they appear more interesting in retrospect. But then comes another twist, which, although not crucial anymore, is daring and exceptional for this genre. And immediately a third twist, which turns the end of the film into mere flashy nonsense and a favorite exercise of Hollywood screenwriters on the theme of "how many shocking twists can I fit into one film to leave the audience stunned?" That third twist contradicts the previous dialogues and scenes. So, all in all, I consider two stars adequate for a film that has problems with uneven pace and logic. Overall impression: 45%. (05/06/2010)

I'm scratching my head over why it was labeled as a comedy. After a more extensive analysis of what unfolded on screen, I had this wild notion that Jack, portrayed by Steve Zahn, was supposed to bring the humor. If that was the filmmakers' intention, it fell flat on me because I find these whiny characters extremely annoying. The plot didn't seem to go anywhere — I was bored throughout. Even the unexpected twist at the end, which earned praise from many viewers, left me scratching my head because it made no sense given the previous plot. It gave me the impression that Mitch Rouse missed his calling and he should have been an illusionist instead. / Lesson learned: In the moment of greatest triumph, you can experience the biggest disappointment. (07/14/2022)