The Promotion

After 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.

Having 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!

This film is about two assistant managers of a supermarket fighting for a promotion to become the manager of the new branch.

The two assistant managers, Doug and Richard, are both developed well. They come across as real human beings that I care about. They are both torn between their need to climb up the ladder, but are both restrained by their morals. This soul searching is beautifully depicted, giving the story depth and charm.

I find "The Promotion" to be very well made. It successfully strikes the right balance between dirty office politics, reflections on moral issues and humour. This is really hard, given the fact that the topic of the film is likely to arouse some negative emotions in the viewer's own work place. I really enjoyed watching "The Promotion".

Not the best comedy I've ever seen, but it had it's moments. Occasionally, I did find something to laugh at during a few scenes.

John C. Reilly was was alright but, I expected more from him. Sean William Scott played a push over, a wimp who was the opposite of the American Pie Stifler character that he's known for. I wouldn't classify the movie as deep or profound, but it does have some things to say about ambition and the cost of success.

I would characterize the movie as being more mildly comical than outright hilarious. As a whole the movie was rather tepid. Some of the jokes were juvenile and others didn't work. In the end the movie succeeded more than it failed.

There was enough going on within the movie to keep my attention. Overall it was run-of-the-mill.

"The Promotion" could easily have been written as a gross out comedy, in which case it could take it's place among the many failures of that overworked genre. Instead, it is a drama that includes amusing situations, none of which resort to slapstick for laughs. Sensitive performances by both Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly, add immeasurably to the film. There is a feeling that "I've been in situations like this myself". In the end the movie has a lot to say about honesty and relationships. Both main characters elicit sympathy, and the outcome of the supermarket promotion is in doubt until the final deciding interview. - MERK