When his job is outsourced yet again to India, Bubba (Patrick John Fleuger) is stuck looking for a new job. He's been through so many jobs lately that it's just depressing. It's not as if he doesn't work or doesn't want to work. There's just not work to be found. Sounds like a common problem right now in a lot of America. Well, while at the diner where his girlfriend Joy (Taryn Manning) works, he meets Jim (Ron Perlman). Jim is just traveling through town. Actually, Jim is perpetually traveling through towns as he never stays in one town more than 72 hours, but we have no clue why this is. Jim and Bubba get along well. So well, in fact, that Bubba lets Jim crash at his place for the night so that he doesn't have to get a room. It's not much, but the couch sleeps just fine. While they're talking, Jim tells Bubba that he knows of possible work in town and sends Bubba to BOYB (Become Your Own Boss) and to say that Nick from Baltimore sent him.
Bubba is interviewed by a man named Mr. Perriman (Joe Pantoliano). The interview should give it away when Perriman starts asking things like which weapon does he prefer, but Bubba is desperate for a job so he doesn't ask. Perriman doesn't tell him what the job is but just that he'll be perfect for it. He tells him to be there at 8 AM tomorrow. Bubba thinks that this is, by far, the easiest job he's ever gotten and is purely ecstatic. He's determined that his life has finally turned around, at least until 8 AM comes.
When he returns at 8, he meets his employers, Connie (Katie Lowes) and Martin (Mark Harelik). They are hiring Bubba to kill Martin. Martin upset a very powerful man, Connie's father, Mr. D (Gregory Itzin), and he has to die as punishment. Since he is his son-in-law though, Martin is being given the courtesy to choose how he dies, so they're hiring Bubba to strangle Martin. Insane, I know. So does Bubba. At first, he's purely against the idea, but when he finds out that the pay is $200,000, he can't manage to say no right away, which means he's stuck with the job. But Bubba doesn't really feel that he's a killer at heart. Not sure what to do, he goes to talk to Jim about it, since he is the one that sent Bubba there in the first place. Jim convinces Bubba that given how many times his job has been outsourced, he should outsource the killing to Jim. Jim wants to do it, for half of the money, of course.
From here on out, things get quite mixed up for Bubba. He's got to figure out how to pull this off without letting his employers know what's going on and make sure that things go without a hitch. If they don't, he's going to have to clean up the mess afterwards!
There are a couple of special features on the DVD as well, just to give you a more in-depth look at The Job. The "Making Of" is an interesting look at what went on. I do believe that I like the "Alternate Ending" the best though. I personally think they should have used it instead of the ending that they did use.
The Job is billed as a dark comedy, but we didn't really find much comedic about it. It's more of a dark drama/thriller than anything. You can tell at times that it has the feel of the off-broadway play and it does have quirky sound effects and music at times too. After watching it a second time, I liked it better than the first, but it still isn't the most entertaining thing that I've watched lately. I do think that there are a lot of things that an audio commentary track might have explained a bit more as well, which would have been nice.
If you're looking for a dark movie that will force you to think a bit, The Job might be right for you.
