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Visitors Review

Roland E. Zwick 2012-05-25 19:33:02

a tale about rivals where no one's a villain

A lot of familiar faces keep popping up in the course of "ThePromotion," a charming indie comedy set in the outskirts of Chicago.The ever-endearing Seann William Scott (Stifler from the "American Pie"series) plays Doug Stauber, an assistant manager at a grocery storewho's having trouble controlling not only his own subordinates but theobnoxious gang members who seem to have taken up residence in theparking lot and spend their time harassing the shoppers. When Douglearns that a new franchise is opening soon in the area, he's assuredby his current boss that he's a "shoo-in" for the position of managerthere - until, that is, Richard Wehlner, a native of Canada, moves totown and becomes Doug's key rival for the spot.Given the premise, "The Promotion" could easily have devolved into oneof those broad, lowest-common-denominator farces, filled with obvioussight-gags and over-the-top slapstick. Instead, thanks to a restrainedscript and subtle direction by Steven Conrad, the movie becomes agenial and gently amusing tale of two equally likable people who arejust trying to move ahead a little in the tightly circumscribed worldin which they live. Doug and Richard aren't asking for fame andfortune, just a little recognition that they're doing a good job withthe resources that have been handed to them. That they are forced totear one another down in order to achieve that recognition is whatgives the movie its poignancy and soul. The movie, thus, becomes thatrare tale about competition and rivalry where no one is a villain.In addition to the wonderful lead actors, the cast includes FredArmisen ("SNL"), Jenna Fischer ("The Office"), Lili Taylor ("Six FeetUnder") and Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development").Give this one a chance; it will grow on you.

merklekranz 2012-05-25 03:57:24

Well written and realistic ................

"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 thatoverworked genre. Instead, it is a drama that includes amusingsituations, none of which resort to slapstick for laughs. Sensitiveperformances by both Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly, addimmeasurably to the film. There is a feeling that "I've been insituations like this myself". In the end the movie has a lot to sayabout honesty and relationships. Both main characters elicit sympathy,and the outcome of the supermarket promotion is in doubt until thefinal deciding interview. - MERK

2012-05-24 03:34:25

Very, very funny.....

Funny, funny stuff!Don't miss out on "The Promotion"! It never got alot of hype or press, but it is hilarious!Two assistant managers in a supermarket are competing for the new manager spot at the new store! Seann William Scott (Stiffler - American Pie) and John C. Reilly (Cal Naughton Jr. - Talledega Nights) are awesome together in this movie.The humor isn't the in your face kind, its the subtle humor that really makes the movie!Alot of funny scenes throughout, watch this movie, you wont be disappointed!

onemorechance_part2 2012-05-23 15:26:37

Maybe it's just me....

I actually really enjoyed this movie. Granted, it is a little dry butit is the perfect movie to watch when you are in a low-key mood.I also thought the frustration that Richard (John C. Reilly'scharacter) showed in regards to his addiction was very realistic, whileremaining humorous and light. The ship in the bottle melt-down washilarious.I also thought the store employees were really funny. Reminded me ofjobs I had worked in where people didn't take things very seriously.I would recommend this movie to others (and I have).BTW, it was nice to see Seann William Scott take a departure from hisusual idiotic roles.

edwagreen 2012-05-18 16:37:16

Demote Promotion: Dumb and Dumber at their Dumbest 0*

Ludicrous. Outrageously stupid film with 2 basic losers vying for astore manager's position that is opening in a new branch store beingopened.How any member of personnel could even think of choosing these 2 jerksis beyond me.The jokes are corny but there is plenty of racism here and it's realstupidity depicted at its best.How did John C. Reilly allow himself to make such an awful film? Theman has such a promising career following his Oscar nomination severalyears back in "Chicago" and his appearance in "Gangs of New York." Ifhe keeps appearing in garbage like this, he can forget it.

amcconnell84 2012-05-18 06:36:14

Extremely Under rated Film

Many people saying this movie is "uninspired" or "boring" do notunderstand the type this type of comedy. The reason the characters donot have energy is because they are not supposed to! It is the type ofcomedy that pokes fun at real life situations. It is meant to bring outthe comedy in day to day life. I felt like this was really obvious, butI guess not.It is great to see a movie that is funny, and does not have to useobscene material to accomplish this. Many comedies now days think ifthey fill it with curse words, and nudity it makes it funny. Iappreciate a comedy that can be funny without having to do this. If you find Seinfeld funny, I would highly recommend this movie.

JustCuriosity 2012-05-13 23:06:16

Silly, Waste of Time

Promotion had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin,TX. While the audience was receptive and welcoming as they almostalways are, but I have to say that I found the film a bigdisappointment. I expected better from Steve Conrad who has writtenreally good films like The Pursuit of Happiness and The Weather Man.The plot was unoriginal. The two main characters were essentiallyclueless dolts. There were a few good laughs here and there, but thewhole exercise simply seemed pointless. The film was rather episodic asthese 2 dolts struggled to gain a coveted store manager job. I wouldn'thire either one of them as a janitor, much less a store manager. Isuppose it was suppose to be a satirical look at the industry, but itjust fell flat for me. The characters seemed right out of Dumb andDumber. 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 andDukes of Hazzard, but it may prove to be a step backwards in hiscareer. Scott's narration of the film in attempt to give it somedirection doesn't really work and feels heavy-handed.From hearing them speak about the film afterward, I think that Conradand Scott were well-intentioned, but the whole film is a mess and Idoubt audiences will find it very entertaining.

bob_meg 2012-05-13 10:23:00

Lots of nice surprises, too bad the right audience may never find it

My first clue that "The Promotion" might have a little more below thesurface than the usual Seann William Scott junior gag fest was thetrailer...it didn't have too much easy humor and the plot seemedgenuinely human, and even sensitive. Then there was the fact it wasreleased by Miramax spin-off Dimension, an imprint more well known forhorror movies than anything else. Something was up.After seeing the film, I am pleased to say that lurking under theveneer of a slightly stupid mass-market comedy is a deftly knowinglittle indie movie waiting to surface.The bad part of course is --- I don't know if many who would like thefilm will see it. It reminded me a little of "The Good Girl" withJennifer Anniston. It was well scripted, rather slowly paced, andrelied more on the script and storyline for laughs rather than leaningtoo heavily on the star-power of it's two principles.The scene at the team-building retreat (dead-on if you've ever been toone) is a prime example. Yeah, there are a few pratfalls, but most ofthe time you're shriveling in your seat feeling horribly for JohnReilly.He's always been incredible at cutting to the human core of all hischaracters and he really shines in this part. You don't feel sorry forhim as much as you feel empathy. And that's not the easiest thing to dowith this character, who is far from lily white. As for Scott, he isdefinitely growing into an accomplished character actor and it'srefreshing to see him tackle something this gray and still turn in aresonating 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 priorscripts I've always thought of as a bit heavy on the syrup. Nothing isforced 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 togo into a movie expecting something and getting nothing close to whatyou expected out of it. Which, fortunately for me this time, wasn't thecase.

2012-05-13 03:06:58

LOW KEY COMEDY, NEVER REACHES GREATNESS! 2 1/2 STARS!

I am usually a fan of these little films that pop up from nowhere, but 'The Promotion' while mildly entertaining, lacks the insight and interest level of many films of this nature. it's not a bad film, but I expected more from it. It just kind of sits there and that's never a good thing. It's worth a look for viewers who like small films, but I wouldn't buy this one!

Michael DeZubiria 2012-05-12 15:52:03

"We're all just here trying to get some food. Sometimes we bump into each other."

Having recently watched the amazingly disappointing Step Brothers withJohn C. Reilly and Will Farrell, I was not expecting much when Iwatched Reilly star alongside Seann William Scott in what looked to melike your standard rivalry comedy. But it's my job to watch movies so Iwas forced to sit through it, and I must say I was certainly pleasantlysurprised. Scott is Doug Stauber, a regular guy with a regular job at asupermarket and he's looking to get a promotion to store manager. Hesees a career and a simple but comfortable life with his young wife andtheir dream of a small home and a happy family. He's a good guy and heworks hard, and we want him to get the job. The simplicity of his character is illustrated in a charminginteraction with his wife, where she assures him that things will beokay, 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 andthey each realize that they are both seeking the same position. Richardhas more experience than Richard and is probably more qualified for thejob, 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 theircompetition genuinely interesting.The movie centers on each man's inability to figure out how they aresupposed to respond to and treat each other. They both want to beamiable and friendly, but they each realize that they have to destroythe other's hopes in order to achieve their own. The escalation oftheir competition and the gradual collapse of their formality is farmore than I had expected from the movie, and the best way that themovie 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 anattempt to "pull a Jim Carrey or Will Farrell." This person has missedthe point of the movie so completely and so ridiculously that it'sdifficult for me to believe that he actually watched it. The Promotionis a smart movie starring two guys best known for doing not very smartcomedy. All have made a step forward here and they should be recognizedfor it. Bravo!

Floated2 2012-05-12 04:39:34

Average movie with a poor script

The promotion is a pretty basic and simple average type of film. Therereally isn't anything too special and not really any memorable scenes.The trailers looked decent but the film turned out to be quitedifferent. There were some parts were I laughed at but not really manyparts. And the characters weren't developed enough. Seann William'sScott (Doug) was okay but he never really seemed that interested andwasn't funny. Also it was weird that he didn't really try to do stuffto John C. Reily's character to get the promotion. John C. Reily's(Richard) was beyond weird. The way his character was and his story. Hewas a Canadian drug addict with a child and Scottish wife. At parts hewas wearing a wrist band because he supposedly "hurt his wrist", and hewas listening to a tape throughout. They tried to make that out to befunny but really it was just dumb.Im a fan of Sean William Scott and he is much better than this. Heneeds to be taking better roles than this. He can be really funny withthe right film. For this film, I don't blame the actor. They did allthey could given the script. Its the writers fault for the most part.Not a lot was laugh out loud funny. It was amusing but nothing great.

megafurry 2012-05-11 12:42:06

A couple of laughs but otherwise brutal

Is this a comedy or a drama? Neither, it fails as both. It is poorly edited which means that its 85 minute running time was 20minutes too long. The lead characters are unsympathetic (just like manyof the other characters). The acting is poor. (Was that supposed to bea Canadian accent? Or worse, a Quebec accent?) There's so muchcontrived dialogue that when good dialogue comes around, you're tooirritated to appreciate it. The same goes for the laughs: not much isfunny anymore when you're mad at yourself for not stopping the movieearlier. I did laugh a couple times, but the movie was overall a painfulexperience. Good premise, poor execution.

Matt_Layden 2012-05-06 12:00:07

Argh, Not What The Previews Suggested

The Promotion is billed as a comedy about two guys who both compete forthe same position...a promotion. I sat there watching this film,waiting to be entertained, waiting to laugh and waiting to see thesecharacters battle for said promotion. This is a film that just goesthrough the motions and does not let the comedy roll with it. It's anunfunny, undecided film that lost it's focus from the script stage.The two leads are Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly, both can befunny 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. Hewants to let go, but never gets the chance to. Scott plays the samecharacter he's been playing as of late, a joe blow loser. The totalopposite of what first made him famous. He plays the role straight, nolaughs from him. He seems to be trying to leave the immature image ofhim at the door, it doesn't seem to be working because he is boringpeople to death.The main problem with the film is that these two guys don't battle forsaid promotion. I think they try to trip the other one up once ortwice, but that's it. This is a huge disappointment, since if theyactually did do any of this, it might have made the film moreinteresting.The film doesn't play up the environment either. You'd think it wouldtoo. It's set at a grocery store, like Employee of the Month. But,instead of focusing on funny situations at this place, it focuses moreon the pathetic characters and their pathetic lives. Hmm, interestingtake, 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 seemsout of place and out of tone with the rest of the film. Not a hugeproblem, but it just doesn't make it flow very well.

2012-05-06 06:48:24

Some good laughs but not many

The Promotion is a comedy set in Chicago featuring two guys fighting it out over a retail promotion.There are some genuinely funny moments in the film, but these seemed to be few and far between. There's some swearing in the film which I feel is totally unnecessary to the plot and further spoils the film.Good to see bits of Chicago in the film and a couple of brief appearances from actor Booby Cannavale.All in all, watch it if there's nothing else, but don't expect to be amazed.

2012-05-05 18:20:29

The Office meets The Supermarket

Small details set this human comedy apart: the thick glasses on the nerdy manager, the yearning looks on the young male lead, the set of board members who never say anything except for the chairman who treats the promotion of his next manager as if it were to lead the world, not a ghetto grocery. John C. Reilly is great as the clueless Canadian. The dialogue is pretty pitch perfect. I can't fault this.

2012-05-05 08:05:31

The Promotion Video

My son wanted this video for his birthday. He likes the movie. I have not seen the movie. He was happy to receive it. He is 32 years old.

MLDinTN 2012-05-03 01:26:33

The 2 lead characters were too nice...

and by too nice I mean, instead of playing dirty tricks to try to winthe manager job at the new store, they are basically nice to eachother. Only toward the end do they do some slight dishonest things.This movie is about 2 grocery store workers who both want the managerposition at the new store opening up. One, Doug, has been at that storefor 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 storeshifts, while Doug is left working the parking lot. Basically, he issuppose to chase off gangster looking, cussing kids, but even if theybuy a candy bar, he's supposed to look the other way if they are beinga 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 negativethings are Richard acts like he was hurt after Doug throws a tator totat him and Doug hides some of the negative comments. But, Richard'smouth and his recreation drug use are what does him in.Sean William Scott is better than this. I thought he was really goingto be big after American Pie. He really needs to be taking better rolesthan this. He can be really funny with the right film.FINAL VERDICT: Not a lot was laugh out loud funny. It was amusing butnothing great. I'd only recommend watching this if there is nothingelse that seems good on.

Movie_Muse_Reviews 2012-05-02 19:17:26

Non-traditional comedy from a traditional premise

"The Promotion" is not a great or memorable comedy, but it's a braveone. Brave in that it doesn't give you what you expect from a comedyabout Sean William Scott and John C. Reilly vying for the samepromotion in a supermarket chain. The expectation is physical humor,gross-out shenanigans and general mayhem. What you get is a much moreunderstated comedy that's built upon that foundation but endscompletely different. Some will find this violation of expectationsrefreshing -- others will end up let down and bored.Scott and Reilly are assistant managers for a fictitious supermarket inChicago. Richard (Reilly) is a recovering drug addict that has justtransferred from Canada, which makes him a threat for the managerposition of a new location set to open up in the future. It's a jobthat Doug (Scott) was a shoe-in for and one he was hoping would get himand his wife (Jenna Fischer) out of their thin-walled apartment andaway from their banjo-playing sex fiend neighbor. Both are men in theirearly 30s trying to get to the next level and both are willing to dowhat it takes to get there.Normally, this is where the comedy goes chaotic with the rival asst.managers pulling obscene and childish pranks on one another, but not in"The Promotion." The immaturity is there, no doubt, but in morerealistic fashion: the lying and cheating is a bit more subtle. Thelaugh factor might take a shot, but the conflict escalation staysstrong even if the lid doesn't quite burst like it ought to.Creator Steve Conrad (writer of "The Pursuit of Happiness") deserves apat on the back for this effort. His film is not the entertaininggut-buster most would make it out to be, but it's still funny. It justdoesn't go out on a limb for some of the cheap jokes and slapstick ofits blue-collar comedy predecessors. There's still foul language likeDoug cursing at the gang kids hanging out in the store parking lot andperverted humor like when the store's Latinos convince Richard to askone of the women about a supposedly excellent "sauce" that she "makes."It's there, but not as outlandish.The real persuading factor with "The Promotion" is its unspectacularbut mildly poignant ending. Conrad actually has something intelligentto say in his film, or at least a proposed new way of looking atthings. This is where those other more hysterical films comes up withsome bogus, cheesy and marginally amusing ending to cool down thehijinx. "Promotion" makes a clear choice between the two possibleendings to this story and offers up a unique explanation for it. That'sa positive way of defying genre conventions.The entertainment threshold is certainly capped or limited by Conrad'sapproach, but it's applaudable in numerous ways and still enjoyable.It's scaled back and if you're open to that idea, it works. No personcan check all expectations at the door upon watching a movie, but "ThePromotion" will benefit from the open minds of viewers who choose tohave them.~Steven CVisit my site http://moviemusereviews.com

2012-05-02 17:42:35

sorry

I completely fail to see what makes the Promotion funny in ANY single way. It's one missed joke after another. The storyline is about a grocery store manager (who looks like he's about 18 years old, played by Seann William Scott) who continues to find himself in situations where people give him a really hard time, so the jokes are supposed to come from how his character reacts to them. It doesn't work though because 90% of the jokes aren't even remotely funny.- The recurring theme showing the crazy guy with the graham crackers who repeatedly flips out at the store manager- not funny. He should have made his exit after the beginning segment and never should have been brought back for another segment. That's why the joke didn't work.- The overweight guy who shops at the store and keeps pretending that the store is actually his home by doing things such as drinking soda straight from the bottle before buying it, and shaving his face in the middle of the aisle- not funny.- The silly segment involving John C. Reilly's character standing around with a bunch of people outside with a bag over his head and a tattoo of the rock band KISS on his chest- not funny.- The part where a guy pushes a shopping cart with a doll in it directly into a parked car- not funny.- The segment where Seann William's character sprays a guy in the face with mace in the grocery store parking lot because he couldn't contain his anger anymore- not funny.- The part where everyone was running barefoot through fire- not funny.The Promotion is just a terribly written movie both in terms of storyline and jokes. I wasn't interested, and I wasn't laughing. I don't get it.

2012-05-02 04:06:16

Who gets the promotion? The real question is "Who cares?"

So, a good friend of mine invited me to come hang out this evening and watch a film that he had just picked up called the "The Promotion". The name sounded familiar to me but I was not aware of what the story was about or who starred in it. My friend could not answer either of my questions, but curiousity took over and I decided to grab some munchies and head over for a viewing. As soon as the film started I was presented with Seann William Scott as the star and narrarator of this story. As soon as this happened it all fell back into place. I had remembered seeing this in a preview earlier in the year, but soon forgot about it as most of the movie-going public also did (it only was released in select theaters/cities).Scott stars as a 33-year old Doug, an assistant manager at a Chicagoland grocer. He is married to the beautiful Pam (cough), I mean Jenna Fischer, of "The Office" fame. Needless to say the story is simple. Dougie wants to get a promotion to become manager of a new branch of the grocery chain that is going to be opening soon. He is told he is a shoe-in for the job. That is until Canadian transferee Richard, played by John C. Reilly, bursts onto the scene to compete with him for the position. Based on the trailer one could be let to believe that the film will be chock-full of comedic antics where the two are pulling pranks and one-upping eachother in an attempt to get the promotion. But a half-hour into watching this film I was left wondering where the plot was going, and was beginning to wonder if I even cared about who got the job. I initially assumed that the viewer was supposed to be rooting for Doug to come out on top, but I cannot honestly say that I was left with this feeling. In fact, I felt the opposite, which in turn left me wondering if the writer/director had intended it to reach the audience in this way. Sadly, I doubt I will force myself to sit through another screening to figure it out.All in all the film had a few raunchy jokes that made me snicker, but the characters and plot felt like they were meandering too much to keep me interested in the outcome of this "competition". I would recommend this for a rental if your a big fan of either of the actors. Otherwise, wait for cable and give it a try if nothing better is on.