Simply A Masterpiece

People are voting emotionally.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

best movie i've ever seen.

The Promotion feels like the crossroads where mainstream comedy meets indie comedy and the result is a bit all over the place. Some of the jokes in The Promotion (IE: "black apples" and the foreigner who gets violent over a box of Teddy Grahams) seem geared more for mainstream comedy films, while the observations the film makes about male masculinity along with the nine-to-five hell of the workplace make the film a more low-key comedy with abrupt situational humor.A strange hybrid this is, placing two talented actors at its core - the inherently likable Seann William Scott and the exuberant character actor John C. Reilly. Scott plays Doug Stauber, the assistant manager at Donaldson's, a supermarket chain based in Chicago. Day in and day out, Doug has to deal with poor and often abhorrent cards left in the parking lot dropbox for shoppers to state their shopping experience, a gang of loitering black teenagers in the parking lot, and just the drudgery of working for a little bit above minimum wage.Doug feels this is about to change, as he presumes he's a dead lock for the manager position at a new Donaldson's, which is opening very soon. Yet, there's another man eyeing the position, as well, named Richard Wehlner (John C. Reilly), an unusually nice man who has just moved from Quebec with a squeaky-clean record that just may grant him the desired position. For now, though, he works alongside Doug as assistant manager at the current Donaldson's.Just from that premise alone, I got anxious with The Promotion. I love films set in supermarkets, big-box stores, malls, or some other consumption-driven place. They often allow for humor more observant on human behavior to take place rather than your usual band of gags and can usually be levied by the thrills and unexpected happenings of a common setting. I was also hoping that The Promotion would rely quite a bit on humor driven by Donaldson's eclectic bunch of customers, similar to Kevin Smith's Clerks, a film I wouldn't hesitate to call one of my favorite comedy films.The Promotion doesn't get too heavy with the blatant or observant comedy, however, and instead tries to provide a face and maybe some relatable instances to the dead-end job of a grocery store. The issue is that The Promotion doesn't have a real identity here. Sometimes it wants to be satirical (when it's showing Doug do all the jobs at the store), sometimes it desires to be observant (when Doug is reading the customer feedback cards), sometimes it wants to be flat-out hilarious and fish for laughs (returning to the "black apples" example along with the team-building activities the employees at Donaldson's take part in), and, at others, it wants to show the male mindset of wanting to advance and strive higher in the workplace (Doug's mentality throughout).With all this on its mind, and a mere eighty-one minute runtime, The Promotion doesn't get a lot of this accomplished but shows us this is what it wants to do in the long run. What I can admire, however, is that everything it wants to do is fairly interesting and that the film itself finds ways to take dryer subjects and ideas and make them funny or at least watchable. The blatant comedy actually works more often than not, and the ideas it throws in about male masculinity and striving for the top position work, even if they're only given a surface explanation and depiction in the film.Scott and Reilly also nicely and subtly personify the conflict between younger, more adaptable blood and older, more traditionalist blood. Doug is a younger soul who could easily adapt to the technological innovations of the workplace, as well as pressure coming from multiple different angles. We get the feeling Richard can, at times, but we feel he would do it in a rougher, more over-the-top way (given what we see when he tires to build a ship-in-a-bottle). Not to mention, Richard seems sloppier and more of a roly-poly than Doug, and to add to that, even in his Sunday best Richard still seems a bit unkempt. With this in mind, the film details this kind of present generation gap that is hardly detailed or spoken about in society.The film has one core insight that I adore so much I may use it on a regular basis. The piece of wisdom comes from Richard who tells Doug, "we're all just here trying to get some food. Sometimes we bump into each other." This is a beautiful insight, almost as intriguing as Clerks' piece of insight about clerks ("just because they serve you doesn't mean they like you"). The quote basically sums up that we're all just looking for one simple goal and have one simple task, but sometimes we collide with someone who makes us a better person, gives us close companionship, or has absolutely no effect on us.The Promotion, in short, is kind of a damning movie. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's dry. Sometimes it's observant, sometimes it's passive. Sometimes it wants to focus on its characters' masculinity, sometimes it just wants to have awkward silences. Very often it feels like a teenager who occasionally wants to be insightful and sometimes just wants to be lazy.Starring: Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly. Directed by: Steven Conrad.

I was reluctant to watch the movie for such a poor rating, and halfway through I really felt, the movie is kinda boring, but after you finish watching it and think about it, you may remember the movie "the pursuit of happiness". Here the setup is kinda tricky, two person need a job, and they are in dilemma to be in rivalry or be friendly. This movie tried to be humorous, but I guess that is where the movie failed badly. When the serious portion of the movie comes, you gonna start to feel for the characters. American Pie famous Seann William Scott really acted well in tough situations, John C. Reily, Jenna Fischer really give us few charming moments. The main beauty of the movie is simplicity, characters feel like real humans. They didn't overdo anything to make people laugh, its just everyday life with nice touch of absurd or funny moments. I really liked the movie. But I wish it was better.

My first clue that "The Promotion" might have a little more below the surface than the usual Seann William Scott junior gag fest was the trailer...it didn't have too much easy humor and the plot seemed genuinely human, and even sensitive. Then there was the fact it was released by Miramax spin-off Dimension, an imprint more well known for horror movies than anything else. Something was up.After seeing the film, I am pleased to say that lurking under the veneer of a slightly stupid mass-market comedy is a deftly knowing little indie movie waiting to surface.The bad part of course is --- I don't know if many who would like the film will see it. It reminded me a little of "The Good Girl" with Jennifer Anniston. It was well scripted, rather slowly paced, and relied more on the script and storyline for laughs rather than leaning too heavily on the star-power of it's two principles.The scene at the team-building retreat (dead-on if you've ever been to one) is a prime example. Yeah, there are a few pratfalls, but most of the time you're shriveling in your seat feeling horribly for John Reilly.He's always been incredible at cutting to the human core of all his characters and he really shines in this part. You don't feel sorry for him as much as you feel empathy. And that's not the easiest thing to do with this character, who is far from lily white. As for Scott, he is definitely growing into an accomplished character actor and it's refreshing to see him tackle something this gray and still turn in a resonating performance. Some of the reviewers see him as a "wimp"....well, that's a bit too easy. I see him as distinctly human.I'm also surprised that this comes from Steve Conrad, whose prior scripts I've always thought of as a bit heavy on the syrup. Nothing is forced here. Yeah, not much happens...this is a slice of life movie, albeit one with a funny crust.It really is a shame it wasn't marketed a bit differently. It sucks to go into a movie expecting something and getting nothing close to what you expected out of it. Which, fortunately for me this time, wasn't the case.

This movie was absolutely awful...I can't even think of an articulate way to describe this movie; which could detract credibility from my remarks. This movie isn't worthy of a thoughtful summary. It's a pile of trash. Apologies to those who find that judgement too harsh, you're wrong, there is no silver lining in this black cloud. Here's why: After viewing "Mr. Woodcock," it became abundantly clear to me that Seann William Scott will doesn't read scripts, he just accepts the work. He's not steve stiffler anymore, as bad as he want to be. To appeal to a greater demographic (than that of American pie) he seriously needs to find roles where he actually does some acting. His character in this movie is terribly frustrating to watch. The dialog he has with everyone else in the movie feels awkward and forced at best. Mr. John C Reiley has made a name for himself through such drama filled gems as "walk hard" and "talladega knights." It's good to see The Promotion allow him to evolve and branch out into such a complex character. A marijuana addicted French Canadian with a daughter and a Scottish wife....ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!? What a horrible character. That whole scene about "cracking the cheese" just about caused me to throw a large stone through my beautiful, large television. I like stupid movies, Harold and Kumar (both of them) are two of my favorite movies of all time. I can appreciate a good stoner character. God forbid the actors/actresses in this movie make the slightest effort to provide any humanistic qualities or emotions in their roles, and actually make you identify and relate to them.acting was god-awful, writing was even worse, there is no cinematography to speak of, etc.P.S. Lili Taylor (she's amazing in 'six feet under') with an F-ING Scottish ACCENT?!?!?!? WHY!?!?! Just employ a freaking Scottish actress!! Why oh Why do production companies greenlight projects like these? The story is nothing but childish feuding, and would best be served as a failed pilot for a NBC sitcom...