The Promotion Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Two assistant managers of a corporate grocery store vie for a coveted promotion.
| Seann William Scott | Doug |
| John C. Reilly | Richard |
| Gil Bellows | Board Executive |
| Fred Armisen | |
| Steven H. Hansen | L Commuter |
| Jaide Gunther | Comical Boy at Party |
| Emerald Gunther | Craft Maker at Party |
| Krystyl Gunther | Partygoer |
| Betsy McIntyre | Cute pedestrian |
| Brent Allen Caputo | Pedestrian |
| Anthony Albert Jr. | Bus Passenger |
| Chris Andre | Grocey Store Attendent |
| Michael Armon | Grocery Store Patron |
| Robert Cilia | Young Man in store |
| Steve Conrad |
7.40 out of 10 (87 votes)
Visitor Reviews
OK but not great
posted on 04 Aug 2009I saw this movie last night. I expect more from Sean William Scott's comedies. This isn't one of his best. Not a bad movie with a few laughs, but i think i only need to see it once. The storyline is different to any other movie i have seen. The movie almost gets out of first gear, but not quite. Its definitely not as funny as some of his other movies such as American Pie and Welcome to the Jungle. I have been use to hilariously great movies from SWS, i hope this backwards step isn't going to be an ongoing feature of his films. Next on my hit list to see is Balls Out. I am not sure what to expect now. The Promotion is good viewing, but not vital viewing.
For those, who ever worked in a Grocery Store will find more entertainment than others.
posted on 19 Jul 2009An assistant manager (Seann William Scott) works for a grocery store for years, he apply for the manager spot at a new branch opening near his home. But he isn't prepare, when a naive Scottish Canadian (John C. Reilly) apply for the same spot as well. Now the two workers start competition with each other for the job and as well for finding their weakness.Written and Directed by Steve Conrad (The Pursuit of Happiness, The Weather Man, Wrestling Ernest Hemingway) made an uneven, sometimes amusing comedy about two different men, who have goals for their future. William Scott and Reilly gives good performances but the premise is never as insightful as it should have been. A few truly funny moments but those who ever worked in a grocery store (Like i did) will probably find it more enjoyable than for those who haven't. Despite all it's flaws, it's a worth a look. Super 35. (*** 1/2 out of *****).
My take on "The Promotion"
posted on 19 Jul 2009Richard Welhner: "We're all just out here trying to get some food... sometimes, we bump into each other." A war of wills takes place between two men who want to run the same grocery store in this offbeat comedy from writer and director Steven Conrad. Doug (Seann William Scott) is a seemingly ordinary guy who works as the assistant manager of a supermarket near Chicago. When the owners of the market announce they're opening a new branch near Doug's neighborhood, he applies to become manager of the new store, and both he and his wife (Jenna Fischer) assume he's a shoo-in to get the job. But Richard (John C. Reilly), a gregarious recent hire at the store who has relocated to Illinois from Canada, announces he's also applying for the management position, and a keen rivalry develops between Doug and Richard even as they strive to act like friends on the surface. As the competition grows between the two, their personality flaws become increasingly evident -- Doug's short temper, Richard's history of drug abuse -- and when Richard's wife (Lili Taylor) leaves him, the contest starts taking an uncomfortable turn. The Promotion also stars Fred Armisen, Gil Bellows, and Bobby Cannavale.Think of "Employee of the Month" but a thousand times better. "The Promotion" from the writer of "Pursuit of Happiness" and one of my favorite films of all time "The Weather Man", Steven Conrad makes his smashing directorial debut that delivers all the laughs and the no-holds barred satirical commentary on modern day corporate environment. This short, amazing little film managed to find its way out of the dregs of epic summer blockbusters out there and places itself at the top beside 1999's cult classic "Office Space" and 2005's sleeper hit "Waiting..." The surprising chemistry between leads John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott worked really well. The guy who was immortalized as Stifler in the American Pie saga proved to us that his acting slate doesn't only consist of wise-ass, annoying turd of a character. Its safe to say that this guy is improving. I'll be seeing more of him in the future.Will Ferrell's other half, John C. Reilly never ceases to impress. His acting skills is actually more suitable in films like these rather than some of the work he did with his pal Will Ferrell.What makes this film work even more is that the jokes and the running gags were actually necessary to the story, it wasn't corny, it wasn't dragged and wasn't over-the-top. Unlike other comedies out there whose main objective is to create absurd, unfunny jokes. This one is just about right. The plot and character development worked seamlessly with the jokes and the dark humor.
A little bit unpredictable, a little bit warm (and dark) at the same time
posted on 15 Jul 2009After watching Mr.Woodcock and Southland Tales, I was really looking forward to Seann William Scott's next production "The Promotion". As I have said before in a previous review, I always felt Seann had the ability to become the next Ben Stiller, and in The Promotion he again shows that Stiller had quite an influence in his delivery style. But The Promotion is not all about slapstick humor, although it had some very good moments. I'm glad that they didn't overdo the toilet humor. The Promotion has a really good message that some people might find cheesy, but I thought it was delivered very well.John C. Reilly gives a good performance although his character was a bit unpredictable, at first I sort of expected an intense but wacky rivalry like one of Vince Vaughn's treacherous characters, but John played a goofball with some serious cultural clashes. Jenna Fischer was a welcome surprise, I didn't know she was in it and I'm a big fan of her from the US version of The Office. Jenna is a very underrated actress with a natural beauty, a girl next door type of demeanor, and a very pleasant personality. She did well in her part although it was a very typical role. The other characters fit in well, with notable exceptions to the store manager and the executive guy, Mitch, who was very suave and professional throughout the movie.7/10, it's a good viewing for those who like to laugh, settle down, perceive some rather dramatic or emotional parts, then laugh again.
If you like waiting for a payoff that never comes, this is your movie!
posted on 09 Jul 2009This film had potential, but it never went anywhere. The pacing of the film was terrible - everything was so slow. The dialogue: it seemed like every character had to clear his throat before uttering a syllable. It's fine to draw out the suspense in a dialogue by slowing it down as long as there's a payoff for the audience. In this film, there was never a payoff for anything. The plot was slow too: the writers of this script forget to include anything resembling rising action, let alone a climax. About halfway through watching, I started fast forwarding to see if anything of any interest was going to happen. Nothing ever did. The jokes were crude, and really not very funny. To me this movie was a lot like Nacho Libre. Both were films that tried to recreate a sort of "Napoleon Dynamite" charm but utterly failed. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I didn't care about the characters much. The best scene in the movie takes place when the two rival characters have a heart to heart chat while smoking a joint. It seems like perhaps they're going to team up to face the odds, or some sort of change is going to occur after the conversation. Unfortunately, nothing changes. This movie was terrible. If you like being frustrated be my guest. Otherwise steer clear of this one.
"The Office" if it was staged at Pathmark
posted on 29 Jun 2009This movie looked like it could be funny, so I went this afternoon and wasn't disappointed. The main plot is as follows: Doug (played by Seann William Scott) is an Asst. Mgr at a supermarket, vying for a promotion to Mgr against Richard (played by John C. Reilly), who were joined with a good supporting cast, including Jenna Fischer (from NBC's "The Office"), who plays Doug's wife, and Fred Armisen (from "SNL"), who plays Doug & Richard's boss.The writing was excellent and the dialogue seemed to flow naturally. There were many scenes that were LOL funny, mostly with John C. Reilly's character playing the foil. The music was very good, playing to the mood of the film perfectly. Seann William Scott realled nailed it, in what seems to be his first role as a normal human being. It at least makes up for the forgettable "Mr. Woodcock".I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone in the mood for a good comedy, well written & acted.
The 2 lead characters were too nice...
posted on 13 Jun 2009and by too nice I mean, instead of playing dirty tricks to try to win the manager job at the new store, they are basically nice to each other. Only toward the end do they do some slight dishonest things.This movie is about 2 grocery store workers who both want the manager position at the new store opening up. One, Doug, has been at that store for a while and told he's a shoe in. The new guy from Canada, Richard, is older and seems to be working the management. He gets more in store shifts, while Doug is left working the parking lot. Basically, he is suppose to chase off gangster looking, cussing kids, but even if they buy a candy bar, he's supposed to look the other way if they are being a nuisance. There are always negative comments in the comments box; those were funny.Both Richard and Doug are pretty nice to each other; the only negative things are Richard acts like he was hurt after Doug throws a tator tot at him and Doug hides some of the negative comments. But, Richard's mouth and his recreation drug use are what does him in.Sean William Scott is better than this. I thought he was really going to be big after American Pie. He really needs to be taking better roles than this. He can be really funny with the right film.FINAL VERDICT: Not a lot was laugh out loud funny. It was amusing but nothing great. I'd only recommend watching this if there is nothing else that seems good on.
Argh, Not What The Previews Suggested
posted on 09 Jun 2009The Promotion is billed as a comedy about two guys who both compete for the same position...a promotion. I sat there watching this film, waiting to be entertained, waiting to laugh and waiting to see these characters battle for said promotion. This is a film that just goes through the motions and does not let the comedy roll with it. It's an unfunny, undecided film that lost it's focus from the script stage.The two leads are Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly, both can be funny at times, here they mostly are not. Reilly, gets a few smirks, but here he feels so constrained and you can see it on his face. He wants to let go, but never gets the chance to. Scott plays the same character he's been playing as of late, a joe blow loser. The total opposite of what first made him famous. He plays the role straight, no laughs from him. He seems to be trying to leave the immature image of him at the door, it doesn't seem to be working because he is boring people to death.The main problem with the film is that these two guys don't battle for said promotion. I think they try to trip the other one up once or twice, but that's it. This is a huge disappointment, since if they actually did do any of this, it might have made the film more interesting.The film doesn't play up the environment either. You'd think it would too. It's set at a grocery store, like Employee of the Month. But, instead of focusing on funny situations at this place, it focuses more on the pathetic characters and their pathetic lives. Hmm, interesting take, only we don't give a rats ass about any of these people.The film also has more swearing then I thought it would, it all seems out of place and out of tone with the rest of the film. Not a huge problem, but it just doesn't make it flow very well.
Promoted to be more
posted on 08 May 2009Recap: Doug is the assistant manager at the local Donaldsons. And soon they will be opening a new market, and Doug sees the possibility to step up to full manager. He sees his chance to buy a house, to get happiness for himself and for his girlfriend. And his manager says he is a shoe-in. But suddenly Richard turns up from Canada and provides unexpected competition. Suddenly everything is up for grabs, and both Doug and Richard are determined to grab it. At all costs.Comments: This didn't really live up to my expectations. Truth to be told, I had quite high expectations. But that sort of comes when you have Sean William Scott and John C Reilly as your stars. Both have proved before to be really good at making good comedies, and from the trailer I expected this was another one.Unfortunately, I didn't think this was one of them. I expected it to be high paced one after another. Sure, a lot of them would be rather pointless, and some of them would go over, or should I say under, the line. But I expected that those would be small exceptions. Instead it is the good jokes that seem to be the exception. Not that it is filled with bad jokes either, there just seem to be long stretches of voids in between them. Stretches where both Doug (especially) and Richard dig their respective holes deeper, by themselves. Not because of constantly mischievous scheming, plotting and sabotaging each other, as I got the feeling from the trailer.It does have some good points, but fell at its own hands. They promised a lot more than they could deliver.5/10
Silly, Waste of Time
posted on 06 May 2009Promotion had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. While the audience was receptive and welcoming as they almost always are, but I have to say that I found the film a big disappointment. I expected better from Steve Conrad who has written really good films like The Pursuit of Happiness and The Weather Man. The plot was unoriginal. The two main characters were essentially clueless dolts. There were a few good laughs here and there, but the whole exercise simply seemed pointless. The film was rather episodic as these 2 dolts struggled to gain a coveted store manager job. I wouldn't hire either one of them as a janitor, much less a store manager. I suppose it was suppose to be a satirical look at the industry, but it just fell flat for me. The characters seemed right out of Dumb and Dumber. It seemed like a waste of the comic talent of John C. Reilly. For Seann William Scott, it is a small step away from American Pie and Dukes of Hazzard, but it may prove to be a step backwards in his career. Scott's narration of the film in attempt to give it some direction doesn't really work and feels heavy-handed.From hearing them speak about the film afterward, I think that Conrad and Scott were well-intentioned, but the whole film is a mess and I doubt audiences will find it very entertaining.
Mediocrity at it's most benign
posted on 04 Apr 2009Ever sat through one of those movies that you're hoping something's going to happen - and it doesn't? The Promotion is one such movie. Here's the uninspiring story of two guys - both intent on being promoted within a corporate supermarket franchise.That's the premise - short and sweet. Naturally there's some tension between both men competing for the position, but overall the humor is weak; the competitive nature of the applicants is unconvincing and the story flat-lines a couple of minutes into the film.John C. Reilly is the hopeful manager from Canada while the incumbent is Seann William Scott.There's nothing to it, nothing to expect and with only a hint of infidelity or upheaval, it's best left out of the spotlight - preferably collecting dust someplace in a $1 rental outlet...
The director doesn't deserve a promotion, that's for damn sure
posted on 25 Mar 2009Saw a poster up in a shop a while ago and thought this looked OK. Slightly concerned I'd never heard of it and pretty sure it was "straight to DVD", but with the premise and these guys, surely it was a "can't miss".... or was it? "The Promotion" stars Seann William Scott (in his most challenging role since "Dude, where's my car") and John C Reilly (in his best work since "Never Been Kissed") as two rival assistant managers at a grocery store. The two are hoping to land a manager's job at the new store across town and start undermining each other to make themselves the best candidate. This is where it gets weird. I was hoping for non-stop pranks and capers, yet the film didn't go there and just placed Reilly's character, Richard, in a few awkward moments where he was made to look stupid. You'd expect some non-stop shenanigans and then it turns out neither gets the job, but the film plays out quite like how it would in real life. Neither actor is given much of a leash and is played reasonably straight.The film was OK (wifey actually really liked it), but I guess didn't turn out how I expected. I felt like a night of silly jokes but the film didn't deliver, although I kind of respect what the writer/director (Steve Conrad, who wrote "The Pursuit of Happiness") tried to do. The film tried to be a slightly more realistic of how one of the situations might play out and din't try too much to go for wacky, unrealistic pranks or to go the other way and pull to hard on the heart strings. Just OK, dragged a fair bit at times and didn't deliver what it could have.
Demote Promotion: Dumb and Dumber at their Dumbest 0*
posted on 27 Feb 2009Ludicrous. Outrageously stupid film with 2 basic losers vying for a store manager's position that is opening in a new branch store being opened.How any member of personnel could even think of choosing these 2 jerks is beyond me.The jokes are corny but there is plenty of racism here and it's real stupidity depicted at its best.How did John C. Reilly allow himself to make such an awful film? The man has such a promising career following his Oscar nomination several years back in "Chicago" and his appearance in "Gangs of New York." If he keeps appearing in garbage like this, he can forget it.
Enjoyable little comedy
posted on 21 Feb 2009Seann William Scott and John C Reilly are competing assistant managers in a large scale chain store who end up competing for the manager spot in a soon to open new location. I'm really not a fan of Seann William Scott but here he won me over as the hero of the tale, a smart young man who wants a store of his own. Playing the role without his tendency to go way over the top I found myself rooting for him. More amazingly I actually found myself drawn into the story which I feared would be the sort of over the top comedy that is more stupid than funny. I liked this little film a great deal. It wasn't what I expected and as a result it was a nice little treat.
Another probably otherwise pointless genre teaser
posted on 30 Jan 2009Another probably otherwise pointless genre teaser In writer Conrad's directorial debut, Doug (Seann William Scott) assistant manager at a chain store called Donaldson's, must make it to manager at the new branch soon opening up so his wife can continue her medical training and they can make a down payment on a modest house. He is a "shoe-in," till Richard (John C. Reilly) arrives from the store's sister chain in Canada and puts in for the same job. Competition mainly seems to consist of not making a horrible mistake--something neither Doug nor Richard can quite manage--and trying to reduce the number of complaints about the comfort and safety of the parking lot, which is menaced by young toughs. Stuff happens. And in the end somebody wins the job.Is this a serious film with some comic moments (and overly pushed recurrent jokes), or a comedy that isn't very funny? Or is it an intelligent, "observant," subtly witty comedy that is going to get lost in a field of grossness dominated by drunken Vegas weddings and other "idiot farces," as the Village Voice argues? Yes, there is observation and some wit here, and a concern with making it while making sense of one's job, as one would expect from the man who wrote The Weather Man, and then The Pursuit of Happiness. But there are also the curve balls and shifts from kindness to cruelty that appeal a lot chiefly to people who like to puzzle over genre.Like Me and You and Everyone You Know or Mike White's Year of the Dog, The Promotion hovers on the edge of bad-good taste in the manner of all those quirky and rarely successful anomalies that do well at Sundance and qualify for the label of Todd Solondz lite. Typically for such films, The Promotion has its own rather mysterious agendas. Conrad wants to make fun of low-rent motivational tapes; are they even worth making fun of? Isn't Richard's dependence on listening to them when under stress more pathetic than funny? What are we to make of the way minorities are treated in this film? Why is so much weight given to a bunch of obnoxious and boorish and menacing young men in the Donaldson's parking lot who are black? To lead up to Doug's improbably suave public apology to the local community--and Richard's (Reilly's) gaffe about "black apples"? What about the Hispanic employees who play a crude joke on Richard, exploiting his desire to learn Spanish? Here is where Conrad pushes the envelope, I suppose, a la Mike White.But Richard is the problem. While Doug at worst is somewhat dorky or at least in a job where it's hard not to seem so, Richard is a genuine, pathetic loser, but one who's trying to make a go of it and has a loving (if sketchy) wife behind him. Yet he keeps messing up. And he's having a rough time. When Doug thinks Richard's conniving with a soft drink delivery person, the truth is he's consulting with his sponsor in recovery, trying to make it through a rough day. Conrad is willing to make a fall guy of a sincere fellow who's in 12-step recovery. Is that funny? This is where he most pushes the edge. But it's an edge that Mike White has consistently played with--only this time, it doesn't quite seem like Richard gets a fair shake. Conrad is cooler and maybe crueler than White.This battle in a dinky big box store is watchable--it isn't as crazy-making or offensive as Chuck and Buck--but it has none of the drollery of the successful White-Arteta collaboration, The Good Girl, which has a similar unfashionable commercial setting but more going on (Chicago doesn't seem to have proved a very fertile milieu for Conrad this time). Maybe Conrad needs the kind of collaborator Mike White has had in Miguel Argeta, somebody to bounce your dumb-ass ideas off.As it is, though this is not the feel-bad flick it might have become--but maybe feeling bad might have been good; it's a feeling, anyway. The Promotion has the limitation of its narrow range of characters. Richard and Doug are flat enough as it is; all the rest of the cast are one-liners or visuals. Under the circumstances, such "understated" comedy provides little opportunity for real comedic talent. The movie only adds to the type-casting of John C. Reilly as an increasingly uninteresting loser; at best it may give Seann William Scott hope, if he wants it, of taking on more serious roles; but has he the depth for them? Jennifer Anniston acquitted herself respectably in The Good Girl. But it was a ridiculous, if Mike White-like, decision to cast Lili Taylor here as a Scottish woman with strawberry hair.It is true that in The Promotion as in other more authentically out-there Solondz lite efforts, there is a corollary appeal to some young audiences of humor that may not even know it's humor, or thinks it's funny when it's not, or may miss that it's in bad taste. But redeeming social value this has not. Good try, though, and the Village Voice is right: we need more comedies that try to be different.
gross Hollywood propaganda promoting (ANTI)social norms
posted on 28 Jan 2009this is one of those movies that disguises itself into a "liberal" form only to promote the opposite. a quiet general trend i notice more and more in Hollywood productions as of late(trying to identify with public beliefs only to prove them wrong, using the very same people that it claims it "defends";hard-core conservatism disguised as a "dove"). after watching this i feel completely deceived! to be more to the point, this is pro-corporate feature plain and simple, and the worst aspect here is that until the very end one is being kept guessing and hopping for some type of resolution that never comes... it is clear to me that Seann William Scott has been chosen to play his part here because his appeal towards the "American pie" franchise; those teenagers that are a bit older right now and find themselves in a corporate environment that "takes no prisoners". this movie simply wants to promote competition, as a fact of life, at ANY costs. i kid you not, there is NOTHING to be learned here at all, i can not believe i have wasted my time to watch such nonsense.this is about the struggle and stress any American worker encounters at his/her work place; the competition that is promoted within any corporation for achieving "maximum best". what i find disturbing is that the viewer is encouraged to sympathize for both parties, only to be given proof that "beeing a man" is the absolute product of competition itself, that individualism is the way to go...i found the jokes quiet lame overall, attempting to be pretentious at times. there are only 2 scenes/situations i found actually comic.the "sensible" parts have no witty to them( movies slows down just to make sure that the viewer "gets it"). besides that, there are quiet a FEW scenes with covert racism(, which makes me believe this whole plot has been developed in some L.A. mansion by a person(s) absolutely broken from the reality of how destructive such behavior(that is promoted here with subliminal messages) can be to any REGULAR citizen( you know the one that works for a living...). all black people are complete stereotypes(the worst ones), all Latin people always work the low end jobs(!?), Canadians are "wiered", and the list can go on...for anyone thinking this is anything like "office space", i warn you; stay away. i can not believe i wasted 1.30hours watching a governmental social propaganda that promotes that EXTREME capitalism that is bankrupting the United States of America, at this very moment.
"We're all just here trying to get some food. Sometimes we bump into each other."
posted on 14 Jan 2009Having recently watched the amazingly disappointing Step Brothers with John C. Reilly and Will Farrell, I was not expecting much when I watched Reilly star alongside Seann William Scott in what looked to me like your standard rivalry comedy. But it's my job to watch movies so I was forced to sit through it, and I must say I was certainly pleasantly surprised. Scott is Doug Stauber, a regular guy with a regular job at a supermarket and he's looking to get a promotion to store manager. He sees a career and a simple but comfortable life with his young wife and their dream of a small home and a happy family. He's a good guy and he works hard, and we want him to get the job. The simplicity of his character is illustrated in a charming interaction with his wife, where she assures him that things will be okay, she can get a job and help them make money.Doug: "I wanna be the primary breadwinner, Jen."Jen: "Female lions do the hunting…"Doug: "I'm not a lion, I'm a guy…"But then a Richard Wehlner, a charming Canadian transfer, arrives and they each realize that they are both seeking the same position. Richard has more experience than Richard and is probably more qualified for the job, and he also has his own wife and daughter and is also a great guy. Doug and Richard respect and even like each other, which makes their competition genuinely interesting.The movie centers on each man's inability to figure out how they are supposed to respond to and treat each other. They both want to be amiable and friendly, but they each realize that they have to destroy the other's hopes in order to achieve their own. The escalation of their competition and the gradual collapse of their formality is far more than I had expected from the movie, and the best way that the movie succeeds is that it makes us want to root for both of them.I noticed another user said on the IMDb that the movie was like an attempt to "pull a Jim Carrey or Will Farrell." This person has missed the point of the movie so completely and so ridiculously that it's difficult for me to believe that he actually watched it. The Promotion is a smart movie starring two guys best known for doing not very smart comedy. All have made a step forward here and they should be recognized for it. Bravo!
A weak movie.
posted on 10 Jan 2009I expected a bit more from this movie, if only because of Steve Conrad's involvement as well as two decent leads for that type of movie. Unfortunately, Conrad, who is usually a good writer, really delivered his weakest story and lines here. Perhaps the double duty as writer and director didn't help.Seann William Scott will never be mistaken for an Oscar performing actor but he usually has energy and a charisma that is very evident on the screen. Here, he really seems uninspired. There seems to be an attempt to pull a Jim Carrey or Will Ferrell with a performance that would be partly funny, partly tragic. Unfortunately, he fails on both fronts. John C Reilly, who is both a tremendous character actor and a great comedy guy is the most disappointing aspect of the movie. He utterly fails at making this character believable in any way and, at times, it seems he is reciting lines at a private rehearsal. Really, really bad. The actresses playing the wives of our main characters are equally uninteresting and unconvincing. Special mention goes to Lili Taylor in another awful role. Her worse performance ever and would have been worthy of a Razzie award if the movie was higher profile and her role more prominent.There's still a nice basic plot, some moments are funny enough. The motivational tapes of Richard Welhner make for a nice running gag, until it becomes overused. By the end of the movie, we're just glad when Reilly throws that away on the sidewalk. The last arc of the film is even weaker than the rest, with a botched resolution. It really could have been a new kind of Office Space but unfortunately, those throwing that comparison are absolutely mistaken and need some more perspective. There simply aren't any classic elements in The Promotion, while Office Space is a top 10 comedy of all time. Quite a difference between the two, really.Perhaps a director working with Conrad would have helped keep a sense of direction. A recast of the main characters (or much better actor direction) was also needed. The movie is a decent way to kill time but doesn't offer anything beyond that.
in the voice of Officer Barbrady: "move along, nothing to see here"
posted on 08 Jan 2009Seriously, what a let-down. It started off great, story was OK (tho overdone it never gets boring cuz it's so real) and characters were decent -although John Reilly's character kept switching (I don't think the writer/director knew what he wanted exactly). But that basically is the problem with this movie: the two assistant managers compete for the main managerial spot at a new location opening soon BUT instead of quirky and witty games, tricks and etc to play on each other NEITHER of them are bad guys so neither of them are doing it... if there are some mix-ups it's by pure accident or slips of tongue. I guess it was to prove that there can still be competition without intentional malice which can be eventful and funny, but here's the thing: it wasn't funny! Not once did I laugh out loud, let alone thought: oh that's clever! The only way The Promotion could work is for the writer/director to get into a time machine and travel to mid 90s before Empire Records and Clerks came out, because guess what, they've already done it!
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Reviews have been good
posted on 30 Aug 2009I saw the film in Austin and I actually thought it was really funny....the humor is not slapstick....it's dark humor...I loved it....the cameos are amazing too! Jason Bateman shines in this film! I think the casting job is great. We can finally see Seann William Scott in a deep role that shows what a great actor he is. He also has great comedic timing with John Riley. Riley with his Canadian accent is hysterical in this film. His random odd lines are going to be repeated all over. My favorite is about the mesquite krunchers....so funny. I think that in this film we really get to see what a great comedic writer Conrad is. I also love that he takes a really funny film, but gives it a realistic heart. What it comes down to are these two men trying to provide for their families. It is the American Dream at it's core. Everyone can identify with its message. The films humor is similar to Office Space. The review from film school rejects on it was good too.