A work-retreat sequence is hilarious, thanks to a scene-stealing supporting bit from Jason Bateman. And Reilly's convincing portrayal of the somewhat self-destructive Richard does make the whole thing watchable.
Comment
07/11/08
The Promotion (2008)
47 %
Reviews Counted: 66 Fresh: 31 Rotten:35 Average Rating: 5.5/10
Consensus:
With a workplace-related theme worthy of satire, The Promotion features some sharp witticisms but ultimately disappoints.
Runtime: 85 mins
Theatrical Release: Jun 6, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $362,531
Synopsis: THE PROMOTION is a low-key, deader than deadpan comedy-drama that fans of THE OFFICE should love. The film stars Sean William Scott (AMERICAN PIE) and John C. Reilly (TALLADEGA NIGHTS) as assistant managers dueling for the same promotion within their Chicago-area grocery chain. Doug... [More]
Genre: Comedies
Reviews
Two things are missing in this debut directing effort from writer Steve Conrad - a sufficient number of jokes and anybody worth rooting for.
07/10/08
The Promotion works as a comedy because, in the depths of our dark hearts, we enjoy seeing the woes that beset our comic antagonists.
06/27/08
Fails as a comedy because it's less funny and interesting than it would be to watch stars Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly sitting in lawn chairs and talking for 90 minutes.
06/27/08
This is one of the more original movies of the year, and it’s the rare film that’s primarily about the workplace.
06/16/08
Top Critic
bills itself as a comedy, and elements of it do fall into that category, but at its core, this is an incisive and often merciless deconstruction of the American Dream
06/15/08
Tone and pace are absolutely crucial to comedy. If the tone is wrong or the pace is off - by even a hair - the comedy will shrivel up and die. And that's precisely what happens in The Promotion.
06/14/08
Two regular Joes square off in The Promotion, a sly comedy that finds fresh humor in the workplace.
06/13/08
The Promotion tries for the dry, low-key vibe of Election, but its humor is not so much dry as evaporated.
06/13/08
The directorial debut of Pursuit of Happyness writer Steve Conrad, The Promotion carries a deadpan corporate-absurd whiff of Office Space but never quite scans.
06/13/08
Screenwriter Steve Conrad's (The Pursuit of Happyness) directorial debut is too strait-laced for the Knocked Up set and too offensive for the Will Smith crowd.
06/13/08
The strangely paced drama/comedy never finds much of a groove. Elements of conventional madcap comedy butt against more indie-ready scenes of relationship dysfunction, and the end result is more frustrating than interesting.
06/13/08
Reilly and Scott richly mine their characters, alternately confiding in and undermining each other. Their vulnerability and yearning for the good life is a quiet but powerful statement that will stay with you long after the closing credits.
06/13/08
The Promotion has more work-life truth in it than a month of The Office or Dilbert.
06/13/08
[Director] Conrad seems to have used whatever clout he got from The Pursuit of Happyness to fund something personal and sincere -- a story that's ultimately about victories of character and suppressing your worst impulses.
06/13/08
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